A Master of Puppets Mastering His Fate
by Worldwalker14
Summary: Saudorn Zalear is a writer, living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in an alternate world. After the failures of writing in the past, he writes another book to prove people that he's not a bad writer, and it meets the success it deserves; however, something wrong happens, "something incredible, something impossible... Something... terrible". His fate beckons (OCxKorra)
1. Prologue

**This fic is rated M because of violent and sexual contents. It starts light, but will get heavy soon xD**

 **I do not own the Legend of Korra. Credits go to the owners and creators of that amazing show. Please review and comment if you want.**

 **Prologue**

My name is Saudorn Zalear, used to be a failed writer and was a past-time guitarist. Over the course of my short-lived writing career, I have published five short stories, countless of poems and two novels, which received from average to poor reviews ( except for my second novel ) which didn't help my income much. But thank to a generous government's ( namely Canada ) disability benefit program ( one year ago, I had a car accident which took away my ability to walk around as I'd usually done ), I didn't have to worry about my income anymore.

Anyway, I'm not gonna bother you with all the small details from my life prior to that day, the day I finally got the attention I'd longed for, as a writer. Yes, notwithstanding my previous failures ( after a period of depression, that is ), I wrote another novel to prove myself to my country and to the world that I could be compared to the great and legendary writers I adored; and by all that is good, I did it! My second book, titled 'Invasion of A Malevolent Entity', managed to become a best-seller and won the Trillium Book Award ( an annual book prize sponsored by the Government of Ontario ), helping me break through the thick web of harsh criticisms and derision and putting me on the 'Dais of The Great' ( my own pantheon of great writers ).

Unfortunately, things went horribly wrong six weeks after that. Six weeks after I became the Stephen King of Canada, something happened; something incredible, something impossible... Something... terrible. Somehow, someway, one of my fictional characters - a villain - became real; his name was Zulathulhu, and he was mad. He was mad at me because I hadn't kept my own promise of letting him stay alive at the end of the novel. He was mad and he wanted revenge. So, he destroyed my home, my city, my country and the world while making me witness it all.

 _No, what have I done?_ I asked myself in shock and horror as I saw Zulathulhu's creations spread all over the Earth like a horrid, otherworldly pandemic they were.

And to make me even more desperate, he whispered in my ear with these words:

"This is not the end, O Arrogant Creator. I shall shatter your mean of existence by forcing you to watch your favorite realities of entertainment ravaged and devoured by my legions of wrathful madness. I shall make you cry out with anguish and hopelessness to the point of oblivion of the mind. Then, I shall transform you into one of my spawns and let you attest the might of my ever-expanding empire of chaos and darkness into many more realities that everything has to offer. And when all is said and done, I shall allow you to die, without hope, just as you have let me so"

With a great outcry of hate, I came at him in my wheelchair to punch him, to scratch him, to bite him, whatever it took to make him furious enough to kill me with one swift strike; thus, denied his satisfaction of seeing me suffer. However, before I could even touch him, there was a blinding light in front of me. Then blinding light everywhere! So bright, so hot. And I heard my villain-creation and his spawns howl and shriek aloud with rage, fear and pain. I, too, screamed at the excruciating heat.

And then there were none, other than the blackness of either death, or unconsciousness...


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter I - New Life For Hope**

There was blackness. Blackness everywhere. Yet somehow there was a consciousness, it had a name, and its name was Saudorn Zalear. No, my name is Saudorn Zalear! And I remembered everything, from the destruction of Earth to the dark and morbid promise that Zulathulhu - my former favorite fictional character, ever - had given me. Yes, I remembered everything, especially those last words...

 _And when all is said and done, I will allow you to die, just like you have let me so._

 _My Goodness, those words..._ Those words sent a sense of dread and finality throughout my entire existence. They made me feel so numb. Just as I did at that moment.

 _Wait a minute. I wonder. I feel numb? I actually feel numb? But where is my bo-_

And there it was, fl-floating? Floating vertically next to me. I looked peaceful with eyes closed. _But didn't that mean I was dead at the moment and I'm-_

 _Yes, my friend, you are in the spirit form now. But that doesn't mean you are dead._ A voice sounded seemingly in front of me, yet I could hear it from all directions.

 _Who- What- Where?_ I inquired the voice out of surprise.

 _My name is Esillith, and as to what I am, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that you are here._

 _Here? Where is here?_

 _The World of Benders, of course! One of your favorite realities._

 _The World of Benders? As in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender?_

 _Yes, and no. This is truly the world that Avatar Aang resides. Or used to reside. In fact, you are in another era right now, where I am sure you are fami-_

 _You mean the Legend of Korra? I'm actually in the Legend of Korra universe?_

 _I think you should call it the 'World of Benders' to make it easier for yourself._

Upon hearing this, I was flabbergasted. How in hell was I in here in the Legend of Korra universe? And is this even real? It was just a TV show, for Goodness's sake!

As if the Voice was able to read my thoughts, the answers to my questions came immediately.

 _Let's just say that I helped you arrive here a little bit, and this is very real, my friend. I will explain everything to you later; but first thing first, I want you to know that Zulathulhu is very furious right now, and is searching for you. He just doesn't know where you disappeared to, so I think there is plenty of time for you to get to know this world, become its hero and guardian and protect it from Zulathulhu and his hellspawns._

The Voice continued to speak to cut off my next barrage of questions.

 _Now I will grant you a gift which is your mean of survival in this world 'til you meet the Avatar and ally with her and her friends to prevent this reality from being destroyed by your now archenemy. This gift is called 'John Landers'. Sounds familiar?_

 _Wait, what? You're going to give me John Landers as a companion?_ I exclaimed, excited. John Landers was the main protagonist in my second book, who stood up against Zulathulhu and his abominations and whose intellect resembled the character Magneto from Marvel Comics.

 _Actually, no, I am going to give his powers to you, Saudorn._

 _What? No, you can't do that! But what about him?_

 _When I give you his powers, technically, you're him, just with a different name and personality. Do you remember how you were after the car accident?_

I was stunned to see that Esillith, the Voice or whatever he was, knew about my struggle after that terrible day. The dark thoughts, the urge to commit suicide, the self-hate, everything about that lowest point of my life. Warily, I asked him.

 _Who are you? Who- No, what are you, really?_

The Voice chuckled. _Like I said, dear Saudorn, it doesn't matter. But you rest assured that I am on your side, just as you are going to be on Korra's. Now, close your eyes, relax and think of the moments you gained composure the most about you. You ask why and I'll tell you: It is important for you to keep those memories with you always in order to control your newfound powers. If you fail, then your powers will be useless. Now do it._

Bewildered, yet sensing that Esillith was honest ( to some extent ), I did what he asked of me. I closed my eyes, relaxed, and think about the times when I concentrated on completing my works. Yes, those were the moments that I gained composure the most about myself; those were the moments I felt audacity, the firmness of my purpose, faith in myself and creativity. Yes, that was right, those moments. Those moments... Thos-

Suddenly, I felt different as previously, I'd felt too light and too purposeless. Now I felt firm in my heart and faithful to my own existence. I felt powerful. I felt invincible! I felt-

 _Ugh. No! The pressure! The weight!_ I couldn't breathe! I couldn't- _Esillith, help! Esillith! Where are you? I can't-_

There was that light again, and for a moment, I heard someone call me. No, I heard my body call me. It was time for me... to be one with it. To be Saudorn Zalear completely once more.

It was time...

Edit: This chapter has been edited today ( so full of mistakes ) because I originally posted it using my Nokia Lumia and it was a piece of shit. So, I hope you guys understand. Anyway, I'm going to post chapter 2 real soon today. Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter II - I Have Arrived, Part I/Trial By Wrestling Simulator**

I woke up from what seemed to me the most bizarre dream I ever got, and found myself lying within a field of grass-

 _Wait a minute, is this Earth? Is this way before the Zulathulhu thing? But where the hell am-_ I sat up with bewilderment and confusion, and a mild, yet annoying headache.

 _Good-fuckin'-ness! Why is it a headache the first thing greeting me every single time I wake up?_ I groggily and grumpily rubbed my left temple with my left hand.

But to be honest, headaches went hand-in-hand with my life ever since my eyes needed a pair of glasses for me to see normally. And speaking of glasses...

 _Oh no! Where did my glasses go?! Where the hell did it go? I panicked. Are you fuckin' kidding me? Without the glasses, I can't see shi-_ I stood up and looked around frantically for my glasses, and I saw everything just fine. And I could stand too!

Now this was weird. Really really weird. I could see clearly and I could stand up on my own legs also! But how could it be possible? Did this have anything to do with the dream? Did the powers Esillith'd "extracted" from my character 'John Landers' somehow cured or healed me from short-sighted eyes and damaged legs? I didn't remember any of that. I didn't even remember whether I was wearing glasses in that strange dream or not; however, I'd noticed that my wheelchair was nowhere near me- I mean my body, in that dream. This is all so weird, man. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes, trying to process the string of events happening to me for the past... Oh, fuck it, I don't even know how much time has passed ever since shit went downhill. Gotta ease the headache, man, gotta take it easy. Inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly, I calmed myself, not letting the headache get the better of me. And when I opened my eyes...

 _Amazing... The grass..._ Grass after fresh and green grass, with clear blue sky overhead and purple-like mountains from afar serving as the sky's horizon. There was also wind blowing, caressing the grass blades, making them dance to the tune of Nature. I inhaled deeply again, breathing in a fair amount of fresh air and exhaled aloud. So peaceful, so harmonic... Everything was perfect. Unlike the nightmare that I was forced to witness by Zulathulhu himself... And such thought brought the hellish scenes back to me. Those horrendous vistas, of fire, destruction, slaughter and utter madness: The screams of despair, the shrieks of horror, the shouts of agony, vain and helpless prayers, torn and chewed bodies everywhere. Men and women, children and the elders, even infants and newborns subjected to the frightful shapes of terror and those gaping maws of everlasting hunger. Blood and guts and crimson bones painted a war-torn world with a new level of malicious and evil Hellscapes. Roaming fell beasts and eldritch chaos patrolling the lands as if the Earth'd finally become their lair at last, yet they were only a tool for havoc created by their Lord-Creator, obeying his every cruel wish and command with glee and thirst and hunger for fresh preys. Goodness... Such memory... Such memory that quelled the peaceful energy that this place offered me!

Spun by the impact of that horrific scenes in my mind, I staggered and fell down on my knees. _It was all my fault. Don't know how it happened, but it was all my fault._ I should have quit writing and just sat on my depressed ass and let the disability insurance take care of me. That way, I wouldn't be responsible for the shit I'd fuckin' done. That way, I would just-

"You would just what, dear Saudorn?". Suddenly, there was a voice above me.

Surprised, I looked up and saw a big, dark blue and otherworldly orb hovering in front of me. The sight was quite strange to me, yet the voice was not.

"Esillith? Is that you?", I inquired the Orb.

"The one and only". Esillith chuckled.

"So... this is your true form", I stated, a little disappointed.

"Yes, this is my true form, dear Saudorn. What did you expected? Master Gandalf? Professor Dumbledore? Or maaaaybe... Charles Xavier?". The Orb teased me.

Before I could come up with a comeback, the Orb cut me off.

"We have no time to bicker, my friend. Time, is of the essence. You must begin your training now, to survive in the World of Benders"

So I am truly in the World of Benders now, no joke. No wonder the scene here comforts me so much...

"Ah, yes, you were wondering where you are, I see. I have transported you from Zulathulhu's Flesh Fortress to this world and put John Landers's powers inside you via the confirmation of your soul. You are far away from your archenemy, safe for the time being. However, time tends to fly fast, and you have to be ready for him. So, for four months in my pocket universe, you will be training basic and intermediate wrestling skills, which are seven in total. Any question?"

"Uh, yeah, question, like... Why do I need wrestling skills while I have John Landers's powers anyway? With his powers, I can best anyone in this world, including Korra. Hell, maybe I can even best Aang himself as well". I huffed.

"Two reasons. First of all, your powers have the same aspect as the "art" of bloodbending, which will make people antagonize you, which is NOT an outcome you and I really need. Second of all, I have locked your powers away to prevent arrogance from controlling you. Even so, I saw that you were still affected by the thought that you are too powerful for this world, which, in fact, is true. Nevertheless, arrogance is a very very dangerous thing and it can manage to bring down even the most powerful being in existence. This, I assure you, my friend, is not far from the truth as I have seen so many rises and falls of empires and significant figures. You are the only hope this world and any other have against Zulathulhu and you know it, so don't think you can pull the "Chosen One" card and be done with it. Do you understand?".

Reprimanded by Esillith, I looked down in shame and kicked myself in the ass in my mind. Of course! my powers do have the same aspect as bloodbending. Well, from others' perspective, that was. John Landers had the ability to manipulate living beings down to molecular level, making them dance to his tune. Sounds pretty much like bloodbending right? I mean the "dancing to his tune" part. So no matter how hard I'd tried to explain, the people in this world, especially benders, would convince themselves that I was a bloodbender. End of discussion, end of story, you're going down, goodbye! Also, about the arrogance part, Esillith was spot on: I did come off arrogant and would pay dearly had I wandered off towards the city acting like an insufferable jerk like Kratos from that stupid God of War franchise. Not good, not good at all, if you ask me.

"Ahem, have you finished thinking, Saudorn? Because we need to get you trained properly immediately". Esillith's voice broke my thoughts.

"Uh, yeah, of course, sir!".

"Good. Let's go".

"Wait a minute, Esillith, whe-".

Before I could finished my question, there was a blinding light and everything went black quickly. _Good-fuckin'-ness, what's with this orb guy and light?_

Blackness. Blackness everywhere again. Then, I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying in a really big wrestling ring, which had six sides, just like the ones from good, old TNA.

 _Cool. At least Esillith acknowledges my hate for WWE._

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, Esillith appeared. He looked at me ( okay, I assumed he looked at me ) then said:

"Alright, I think I did a pretty good job recreating the six-sided TNA ring which you loved so much. Anyway, let's get started. First, I want you to work with stance and motion; and to make the, uh, course a bit faster and smoother, I will put these images of amateur wrestlers doing stance and motion in your mind just so you know what to do"

And like he said, the images appeared in my mind and stayed there until, I thought, I did the stance perfectly. But instead of practicing right away, I asked my "coach":

"Just a quick question, Esillith. Why didn't you put the images of all the seven basic skills in my head so I can perfect them all straight away?".

"I don't think you want your brain to be overloaded and fried, my friend". Came the answer.

"Okay, got it". I nodded.

So I focused on the images and practiced the stance and motion, and for half an hour, I kept practicing 'til I almost perfect the first two skills ( kinda ). Esillith spoke when I finished:

"Good. Now to level change and penetration ( no dirty thoughts )".

The images of level change and penetration entered my mind. But before I start, let me explain to you about level chance and penetration: Level change is the act of raising and lowering your hips to set up or execute an attack or to counter the moves of your opponent. While penetration is the first offensive movement that puts you in a position to score. For the next one hour, I set to practice these two skills. After that, it was back step and back arch, in one hour and a half: Footwork and hipwork to make sure you move with speed, execute perfect upper body throw and protect your head while throwing your opponent down upon the mat or ring floor ( by tucking your hips under your opponent, your head won't touch the mat/floor when done against him/her ). Finally, lift, in one hour: Used to finish takedowns, to set up pinning combinations, to counter escapes and to counter takesdowns. And with back step, back arch and lift, I got a dummy to play with. However, at the end of today's course, there was a small exam, and I got a real opponent: I, me and myself ( namely my clone )

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out, time out, Esillith! I'm not ready to fight a person! I'm not ready to fight my-"

A spear-like takedown cut me off from completing my objection. Before I even tried to muster any counter, I was pulled up by my clone ( did I tell you that my clone was a fairly muscular guy and was a bit taller than me? No? Well, now you know ) and was slammed down on the ring floor, wind knocked out of my lungs, eyes seeing stars. And I was just played around like that for fifteen more minutes without halt: Picked up, slammed down; picked up, slammed down; picked up, slammed down; sometimes got into a submission move too ( and I tapped out like a bitch-rookie I was ). After that, I was released and got a breather.

"What do you think? Pleased with your clone? That is you after three weeks of workout. Took me awhile to mold him from nothing, heh heh". Esillith hovered above me and declared, adding a chuckled in the end.

"I... don't... know. But I... do know... one thing: If I catch... you... with my bare hands, I'll... I'll... I'll mold you into a frickin' square!".

"Well, I look forwards to that, dear Saudorn. When you complete the training, that is", Esillith replied, then he moved away and let out a sound resembling a whistle's "ttsssssssss".

 _Here we go again._ I thought somberly as the fairly muscled Me approached, eager for another fun-time session...


	4. Chapter 3

**Note: Unlike the last chapter, this one contains strong language still and a much more intense level of violence. Enjoy.**

 **I do not own any detail from WWE and TNA and the people who created the workout programs I mentioned in this chapter. All of them belong to these two company and the program creators respectively. I also don't own the Legend of Korra either, full credits goes to the owners and creators of that awesome show. Please review if you can. Thank you.**

 **Chapter III - Completing The Training** **( Replacement )**

Esillith'd told me that I had four months to train basic and intermediate wrestling skills, which I did. The first month, I completed the basic skills and paired intensely with my clone ( and don't worry about the eating, the resting, the showering, the crapping and the sleeping, because my friend the Orb Guy had thought of all that way before he brought me into his pocket universe. To tell you the truth, I was pretty surprised he could make a house with every home appliance, food, drinks and other stuff available next to the wrestling ring for my bodily functions ). Came the second month, I was to stop the wrestling training and focused on a very strict workout program which resembled the Greek God Muscle Building Program. In this program, I must do floor press and standing press, starting with 30lbs, lateral raises 10lbs and skull crushers 20lbs to get my body used to the coming schedules after being disrupted by the Zulathulhu thing ( after the car accident, I began to lift weights for a short period of time before concentrating on writing ). Then, I added weights, from 55lbs ( floor press and standing press ), 15lbs ( lateral raises ) and still 20lbs ( skull crushers ) to 70lbs, 25lbs and 30lbs, and while I was at it, I practiced my footwork too. Next, I began the Aggressive Fat Loss Program, Flexibility For Martial Arts, Exercises For Washboard Abs and Scapula Mobilization Routine. After that, I focused on perfecting my footwork ( more footwork ).

The next month, I was to practice my basic wrestling moves: Half-Nelson ( typically done using just one arm, slipping your arm underneath your opponent's armpit and wrap your hand around the back of his/her neck while using your free hand to hold your opponent's other wrist so he/she cannot break free ), Single and Double Leg Take Down and Ankle Pick ( putting one of your hands behind your opponent's neck, moving in the direction of your hand so that your opponent takes a step with his/her opposite leg, then grabbing the ankle with your free hand, pulling it up with that hand and pushing the head down with the other, creating opportunity for either a spin/cover or an Ankle Lock ). Next, I was allowed to study and practice finishing moves and submission moves, such as: The Spear, Diamond Cutter, The Lariat/Clothesline, The Powerbomb, Ankle Lock, Sleeper Hold, Mandible Claw and Crossface Crippler. And at the end of this month, there was another small exam, which was a bit more brutal than the first one. Subsequently, the last month arrived; but it was not much, just revision of what I'd learned. And then came the final exam, and I think you already knew it would be the most brutal of all. After an hour and a half warming up, I got into the ring, awaiting my final exam. Esillith appeared out of nowhere, as usual, and spoke to me:

"Are you ready for this, saudorn? Today is your graduation day".

"You know I am, Esillith. Let's bring it on!", I exclaimed excitedly.

"Good. That's the spirit. Now I want you to close your eyes and relax. I have a surprise for you".

I did as I was told, closing my eyes and relaxing. Through my eyelids, I felt that there was a pretty long flash of light, then the light was still there yet its brightness seemed to subside a bit. I opened my eyes and was amazed! I was inside a really spacious WWE-like arena with lights overhead and empty seats all around. I looked straight ahead and there they were: The ramp, the entrance, the titantron, all old-school like it was back in the 2000-2003 period. The only difference was the six-sided ring that I was currently standing in. This was awesome! Sensing my excitement, Esillith gave out a hearty laugh.

"I knew you would like it. But the like is over, son; time for the dislike, namely, your opponent".

And the music hit and my smile melted away. _Holy shit, my opponent is Kurt Angle._

I stared at the titantron, eyes wide, jaw seeming to drop to the floor. _You gotta be kidding me. Kurt Angle? I'm going to get my ass killed!_ Way above my head, I heard Esillith announce.

"Ladies and gentlemen who aren't even here, please welcome, KURT - AAAAAAAAAAAAANGLE!".

Three seconds later, the Wrestling Machine himself showed up, walking out from behind the titantron, heading towards the ring. He was wearing his normal TNA Stars and Stripes costume, two black knee braces on each knee and a pair of white running shoes. My nervousness increased tenfold when Kurt walked up the steel steps and into the ring. He approached me with confidence and calmness and then he extended his hand, indicating a professional handshake before starting a match; I grabbed it a bit anxiously and Kurt gave me a firm shake, let go then walked to his corner, waiting for Esillith to ring the bell or something. Up in the air, Esillith looked at us for a while, then he gave out a bell-like sound and the match finally started!

First, both of I and Kurt did the circling routine, reading each other's expressions. Next, we grasped each other by the back of the neck with both hands, and suddenly Kurt gave me a headlock, jerking me around a little, surprising the hell out of me! My wrestling instinct kicking in immediately, I wrapped both of my arms around Kurt's belly and focusing my entire weight on my legs to stop the jerking. Using my whole strength, I pushed him away running towards the ropes while I fell flat on my stomach, turning left, creating a line. Running back towards me, Kurt made a small jump past me, heading to the opposite ropes; I stood up and jumped over him as he came bouncing back from the ropes and turned around quickly, grabbing his left leg, lifting him up and flapjacked him right on his back, hard, wanting to end this match as soon as possible. I covered him and only got the two count from Esillith. Not wasting my time, I stood up again and kicked him all over as he rolled away towards the nearest under rope, touching it, signalling for Esillith to count to five ( if Esillith counted to five and I still kicked Kurt while he was still holding the under rope, I would be disqualified ). I stopped kicking Kurt, fell back a bit, waiting for him to stand up, then grasped his left arm and pulled him towards the opposite ropes. However, Kurt already figured out a counter, quickly using his weight to halt my pulling, wrapping both his arms around me and gave me a belly-to-belly suplex, making me land on my back, hard, too. _Oh shit, the pain._ He covered me right after that and only got a two count from the Orb Guy-Referee, because I didn't plan to fail the exam that early!

Grabbing me by the hair, Kurt pulled me up and used his right arm's bicep to knock me right under the chin, making me stumble backwards, seeing stars. Before I could stood up, Kurt grasped my hair again, pulling me up, turning me around and knocked me towards a ring pole. Then, he proceeded to punch me right in the head repeatedly 'til I sat on my ass against the pole. I heard Esillith counted to five and when he reached four, Kurt backed off and waited for me to stand up then ran towards me, clotheslining me so hard the wind was knocked out of my lungs, again. My vision began to get blurry a little bit as I grabbed the ropes, trying to steady myself, only to face another clothesline! I fell flat on the ring floor, face sideways, and felt Kurt rolled me up and covered me again. I heard Esillith count and hastily put my left arm and shoulder up, kicking out at two. I heard Kurt grumbled in frustration and felt him pull me up. Not want to be beaten again, I punched him right in the stomach, making him stoop down, groaning slightly. I punched him in the stomach again, and again, and took advantage of the opportunity to put the Crossface Crippler on him, turning the table in a blink of an eye!

Surprised by the submission move, Kurt groaned loudly, his free right arm waving frantically. Determined to finish the match with him tapped out, I applied pressure on his face and left shoulder, muffling his moan of agony. After a while, his free arm's action began to slacken off; hope flared within me. _Maybe he's not gonna tap but I can make him pass out!_ Rookie mistake. Hope made me lower my concentration and the pressure lessened, giving him room to breathe. Before I could re-apply the pressure again, Kurt tried to crawl towards the under rope in front of him! _Shit, shit, shit! Do not let him reach the rope, you idiot! Apply the pressure! Apply the fuckin' pressure again!_ Agitatedly, I tried to strengthen the hold while Kurt kept putting his face on the floor, moving towards the under rope. Then, my hope of securing a victory over Kurt Angle passed as he reached the under rope; I had to let go. Angry, I stood up, grabbing his left foot and pulled him away from the under rope, trying to give him the Ankle Lock, his own medicine. However, he rapidly turned around on his back, pulling his legs towards him and kicked me away. I stumbled towards the ring ropes behind me, grasped them, turned around, only to get a belly-to-belly overhead suplex again! I groaned in pain, trying to stand up, got another one, got covered. Esillith counted.

"One, two- Two!".

"Goddamn it, come on!", Kurt yelled in open frustration.

I heard him breathe hard, walking back and forth; I tried to stand up, failed. Pain, my back was filled with pain. I heard Kurt jumped up and down, yelling:"Come on, you piece of shit, stand up!". No doubt he'd pulled his costume down, half-naked, eager to Angleslam me. I crawled on all fours, slowly gathering my strength to stand up. _I have to avoid being Angleslammed. If I am Angleslammed, it's fuckin' over._ Esillith'd taught me that whenever in a fight, or in combat, "do not let your opponents read your every move. Be creative, surprise them". _I'm gonna do just that, Coach, believe me. I'm not gonna motherfuckin' lose now, not today._ My thoughts finished, I agonizingly stood up and immediately felt Kurt move behind me, his right hand under my left leg, my left arm over his shoulders. Before Kurt lifted me up and Angleslammed me, I headbutted him! I just kept headbutting him 'til he slipped away. When he turned around, I hit him with a step-up Enzuigiri right on his left ear! Caught by the impact, Kurt crashed down on the floor, face down, like a fell tree. Not wasting my time again, I pulled him kneeling up, stepped away a bit and kicked him right on the forehead with my left foot! Knowing that Kurt was 100% down and out, I covered him and Esillith began to count.

"One. Two. Three!".

 _It's over. It's over. It's fuckin' over!_

 _I won..._

I moved away from the unconscious form of Kurt Angle and lay down on my back, both hands covering my face, overwhelmed with joy, shedding tears of my first victory. I passed the final exam! I did it!

When I opened my eyes again, the arena was gone; there was only the ring and the house next to it. I sat up, face still wet with tears, and looked for Kurt Angle and he was nowhere to be found. Maybe Esillith put him back into oblivion just like he's molded him out of nowhere. Also, the Orb Guy was not around too. _Where the hell is he? Ah, fuck it, he loved the disappearing/reappearing act. Let him. After that damn match, I feel like I'm too old for all this shit_ ( Martin Riggs:"You're not too old for this shit ). I walked towards the house, entered it, struggled to get my shoes off, went to "my" room and got some clothes out, went into the bathroom, got rid of my simple ring costume ( a T-shirt and a long tights ), showered, changed, headed out and into "my" room again and crashed onto the bed, slept. The next morning, I was rudely awakened by the sound of an alarm clock. Groggily and grumpily I reached the night stand next to my bed, intending to throw the damn thing away. Instead, there was only empty space, no clock. I pushed myself up and looked at the night stand, staring blankly at it. Where the fuck is the fuckin' clock? I turned around to lay on my back... and then I saw Esillith.

"The hell are you doing here, looking at me sleeping, you otherworldly pervert?", I shouted at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Saudorn. I came to wake you up. I was the alarm, after all". If the frickin' orb'd had a face, I swear there would be a shit-eating grin plastered all over it. Bastard.

"Can't I just sleep some more? I'm still tired, you know?".

"Quit whining, you big baby. I made you breakfast, your favorite: Two eggs and bacon and toast. Let's go!".

"Ugh, you goddamn conniving piece of shit", I grumbled, tossing the thin blanket away, getting out of bed and the room and entered the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

Four minutes later, I came down to the kitchen/dining room, pulling out a chair, sat on it, looked at the meal and proceeded to wolf it down. After I finished my breakfast, Esillith offered me a cup of cappuccino; I muttered a 'thank you' and took a fair sip of it. When I put the cup down on the table, Esillith spoke:

"Now, let's talk about true business. As you knew, I have locked your powers away to avoid arrogance from getting the better of you; however, you have earned yourself, uh, let's just say an achievement, by defeating Kurt Angle, meaning: 15% of your powers have been activated inside you. In other words, you can control people's motions with your fingers and hands now. Congratulations".

"Really? Awesome! Can I try it?". I was excited at the news.

"You can do it when you're back in the World of Benders, after this conversation. Next, I give you two maps, the World Map and the map of Republic City for easy navigation". From out of nowhere, two maps appeared in the air and was gently laid down on the table, in front of me. "Next, I give you the World of Benders's money, mainly comprising of the United Republic of Nations and Republic City's currency". A fairly big pouch materialized out of thin air, then was laid down in front of me, next to the map. "Open it", Esillith suggested.

I opened the pouch and peeked into it, seeing pink bills and golden coins. "There are 200 yuans in total, which ensures that you'll be able to afford things in that world. Nevertheless, saving is the key word, even though I can make more for you; after all, being humble will give people like Tenzin a positive first impression, thus strengthens your alliance with the Avatar and her friends. Last but not least, I give you these clothes to let you have a better chance of immersing in the people's way of life; because, trust me, being a complete stranger in that world is not a good idea, even with your powers. But if you think you can live dangerously, you're welcome to try. Any question?". Matching shirt and pants, which resembled the Changshan, appeared and was laid on top of the maps.

"Yes, sir. Am I going to be dropped back at the field of grass where I'd woken up before? And if that's so, how far from that place to Republic City?".

"Yes, you will be dropped back there, and it's not really far away from your destination. You will find everything you know from the World Map. Anything else?".

"I got it, Esillith".

"Good. Now I'll put everything in this small duffel bag. You should finish the cappuccino, then we'll get going". Esillith created a small duffel bag, like he'd said, and moved every item he showed me into it.

Meanwhile, I finished the cappuccino, wiped my mouth free of stain with a paper tissue, stood up and moved away from the table. Esillith gave the duffel bag to me then said:

"Lest I forget, my dear Saudorn, the clothes you're wearing is not fit for an adventure. They look... too casual, I have to say. You like metal, don't you? Then let's give you some badass outfit!"

And in a blink of an eye, my casual shirt was replaced with a fit, black Slayer Tee with the silver Eagle and the word Slayer inside a yellow circle, pierced by four swords in a near-complete Pentagram shape, covered by a long, black and sleeveless denim jacket. My pants with a black, fairly fit jeans plastered all over with Overkill's I Hear Black cover art ( without the band's name and the album title, that is ) and my shoes was black as well. All in all, I was even more badass then a man in black!

"I see that you like it. Very good. Close your eyes now, my friend; I will transport you back to the World of Benders. Also, this is a goodbye to you. But don't worry, we'll see each other again, probably several months later. May the Force/luck/whatever be with you".

And with a great flash of light, I felt everything change in front of my closed eyes. The house's floor disappeared, yielding for the grass; the normal indoor atmosphere replaced by the cool and calm Summer breeze of wind; the light from my friend the Orb Guy's pocket universe returned to the radiant sunlight of the World of Benders. I opened my eyes and saw that I was indeed standing among the familiar field of grass, and there was no Esillith hovering near me like he'd done the past four months. So he truly said goodbye. Putting down the duffel bag, I unzipped it and took out the World Map, studying it. _According to this, I am currently in the northwestern part of Earth Kingdom, just a bit south of the United Republic of Nations, including Republic City itself. Now, the southern part of the United Republic of Nations and Earth Kingdom's northwestern part are divided by a river called 'Soo Ohkoo'? Shit, I forgot how to spell names in the Avatar universe since the two shows ended long ago. Guess I have to play dumb to learn the pronunciation of names and shit. Anyway, there is a village resort on... or above the river, connecting the two continents together; to arrive at Republic City, I must pass the resort, then the city's checkpoint, in order to gain entry into the city. Sounds like a plan to me._ Putting the map back inside the bag, I zipped it, set it on my right shoulder, started walking towards the direction of the village resort. I wondered what would be the surprises in store for me in this world; a world I came to love greatly yet forgot so quickly, having focused on my writing career in the past. To tell you the truth, I was excited and anxious at the same time. Finally, I am able to live in a fantasy world! A world so different from one I came from. or used to come from. Yes, my world was gone, and this was going to be my new home from then on. A home under the threat of annihilation promised by my archenemy, and what is worse is the fact that it was unaware of the distant, looming threat. A storm brewing on the horizon. No, I cannot afford that! I would not allow this world to be broken by Zulathulhu and his hellspawns! I must think of those moments of composure and move on ahead. I was not the Avatar but I'd be damned if I failed this world.

Audacity, firmness of purpose, faith in oneself and creativity. Taking a deep breath, I quickened my pace. _Republic City, here I come..._

 **Edit: Sorry, everyone, I had to update this chapter because I made a geographical mistake, putting Saudorn north of Republic City instead of south of Republic City, simply since the village resort is situated SOUTH of Republic City, not NORTH of it, and Saudorn has to pass through the resort first, then the city's checkpoint, in order to gain entry into the city itself! I am truly sorry for this mistake. I have no excuse and this is truly poor on my part! Anyhow, there will still be some changes in my writing for a bit as I'm gonna include lyrics of many metal songs I love in the next chapters. Hope some of you readers are metalheads like me and enjoy it. Thanks for reading ( and reviewing :) ).**


	5. Chapter 4

**Note: Like I mentioned at the end of the last chapter, there will be lyrics of many metal songs I love included in every chapter I post from now on. Hope you will enjoy them and think nothing more of them than just factors of entertainment, not something provocative or offensive.** **Anyway, there's occasional strong language in this chapter for your relaxing time. Enjoy xD**

 **I do not own the song and lyrics from Overkill and Dark Angel, all credits go to these two wonderful bands who spent their entire life spitting forth awesome stuff for the ears and soul. And I still do not own the Legend of Korra for obvious reason I mentioned in previous chapters.** **Feel free to read and review. Thank you.**

 **Chapter IV - I Have Arrived, Part II**

The year was 170 AG ( or so the World Map'd showed me )

On Judgement Day, the Moon lights the way,

and those with open eyes will see...

Hail the Avenger, Midnight Defender!

The end will never be...

You look to the light...

Dawn of a new day.

Hail the Avenger!

He who lights the way.

Away with your fear, I've cried all my tears.

Delivered from the night...

Hail the Avenger, laughing at danger!

Shed blood, bring life!

If you live by the sword...

You die by the sword.

Hail the Avenger...

Accept our new lord!

The defeated lays, lifeless in the pit!

His face reflects the horror of his victims in tenfold.

A death of deaths!

All evils fear his name!

Struck down - by a man!

His severed limbs ooze oceans of our blood!

Man stands, oh knees deep within...!

Paused to scream "this is not a sin!"

I have done your will, I've delivered.

From this day forth, known as the Avenger...

Guarding the weak, and those who seek

asylum from a world of wrong...!

Hail the Avenger, Midnight Defender!

Silent, bold and strong.

You echo our cry...

So ends war!

All hail the Avenger!

Victory hour.

Oooh, victory hour!

Our vengeance recalls,

I'm strarting to fall.

Victory hour!

Victory hour!

RIGHT NOW!

The song Fear His Name by Overkill ran through my head as I was approaching the village resort, passing through the gorgeous cherry blossoms. _Amazing! What a beautiful view._ I gasped upon seeing the whole scenery in my point of view for the first time ever; since the last time I'd seen the village resort, it was only through the perspective of the camera which'd indicated that all this was just inside a TV show. I didn't remember much of how the village resort had looked like apart from knowing that through the camera's visual perception, the entire place was very impressive. But holy shit, it was gigantically impressive!

The main building was built on pipes and several great rocks in the center of the river, and it was connected to the shoreline where I was standing now by an enormous wodden bridge. And by enormous, I meant the Golden Gate Bridge-sized enormous! Anyhow, if the main building was in the center of the river, that meant there had to be two bridges connected to it. To check out if I was right, I went through small cottages for guests and a very big and beautifully made entrance structure and tried to peer at the other side from the right of the bridge. And then there it was, the other bridge, same as the first one. _Cool..._

But there was something else, way cooler than the village resort itself: the waterfall, where the river met the ocean. The watherfall's height was very great; in fact, so great that when its water came crashing down onto the ocean surface, it made a very constant and very loud sound, like a never-ending thunder. Quite frankly, it reminded me of the Niagara Falls, where I'd come to visit and marvel at its magnificence for so many times. And the water... the water here was so clear and fresh, just like Niagara Falls'. A shame Zulathulhu'd poisoned it with his spawns' presences. A shame I had to watch it spoiled agonizingly slowly for the first and last time. A sham-

"Are you alright, Mister?". A friendly, female voice asked me.

I immediately turned towards the source of the voice and saw that there was a beautiful and attractive young woman looking at me, pleasant yet concerned, who was wearing a Chinese-like traditional massage outfit.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Something just contacted with my eyes, that's all". Smiling politely, I replied.

"Are you sure, Mister...".

"Saudorn Zalear, but please call me Saudorn. And I'm sure". Maintaining my smile, I presented my hand to the woman.

"Azara is my name. Nice to meet you, Mister- I mean, Saudorn". The young woman gripped my hand and gave it a firm shake, much to my surprise. "Although that's a strange name. Pretty strange name, indeed".

"And nice to meet you too, Azara. And I know it sounds strange to you, and probably to everyone here, but I'm a traveler from a far land, after all". I chuckled.

"A traveler from a far land, you say? Did you mean you're from the southern part of Earth Kingdom or... from the Southern Water Tribe? Notwithstanding, I don't think you're from either one of those places, because travelers from there don't usually, or at all, wear... outfits like this". Azara looked at my metal outfit.

"I'm sorry, my dear, I can't say where I'm from. But the people there do wear outfits like this, yet not many do anymore. I wish they all did, to be honest. This kind of clothes looks quite... evil, you may think, but I assure you, people like me are NOT evil at all; bad, yes, but not evil. Well, except for some who take it way too seriously".

"Hmm, I see... And you say not many of them wear this anymore... Meaning it was some kind of a fashion? A trend?".

"No, my dear, it was more than that. It was a way of life, a philosophy, a symbol of rebellion and freedom of expression. It's kinda hard to visualize it to you, but if I got the mean ( my electric guitar ), I would show you". I spoke passionately.

"I see it now. Anyway, you are a traveler from far away, you must be really tired now. Would you like to have a relaxing massage treatment?". Azara smiled broadly.

Now I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a 'relaxing massage treatment' from beautiful Chinese/Oriental-like cartoon ladies, especially someone as beautiful as Azara. Her beauty was a combination between Pocahontas and Hua Mulan: tall, with naturally long, dark hair ( Pocahontas ), possessing a whitish, lovely complexion and a pretty oval face ( Mulan ). Her eyes were exotically oriental, bright and intelligent and they had a fair quality of mirth in them too. While she was not my type ( as I adore headstrong, compassionate and muscled women ), Azara definitely could be an excellent lover. Anyway, I didn't feel really tired because Esillith hadn't dropped me off too far away from the village resort; plus, I was planning to get into the city as soon as possible as the Avatar was going to arrive there soon. And I wanted to prepare for her, uh, great entrance. So, with a gentle smile and a polite shake of the head, I told her:

"I'm really sorry, Azara, but I'm in a hurry right now. I have to go to Republic City because I have some family matters that's needed to be taken care of. However, you rest assured that I will return here and, uhm, require your massaging skills, when all is said and done".

"Well, how about a tour of the place then? Surely you have never seen this place before, so I guess it doesn't hurt looking around for a while, does it?". She was quite insistent, this one.

"Appreciate the offer, I really do. But you must understand; to me, my family, who are residing in Republic City, where there are high levels of crime and civil unrest, are very important. I got an emergency letter just two days ago and you know if you were me, you would have to be greatspeed to see what happened there. I stopped here for a bit simply because the waterfall reminded me of one near, kinda, my hometown. Therefore, uh, there's no tour needed for me right now". I lied smoothly, feigning worriness.

Azara nodded in understanding and gave me another pleasant beam of smile. _Hot damn, now would you looked at that. That's something men will kill each other to see for oneself!_ Then, out of nowhere, I saw a flash of golden light, breaking my thoughts. Azara was presenting a thin, small golden leaf with some markings resembling these four Chinese words "理想客戶".

"This is one of my business seals, which I only give to potential 'ideal customer'. That's right, these four words mean 'ideal customer'; I see you as one not only because of your bag". She gestured towards my small duffel bag. "But also because of, well, all these muscles. You have got to work out hard, have you not? And the harder you work ut, the more aching you feel. Maybe you like the aches... But who's to say aches are better than, shall we say, a little applying of pressure across the places that are... aching?". She came closer to me, whispering in my left ear seductively, left hand trailing slowly along my right shoulder to my right bicep, stopping at my chest. I smelled pomegranate shampoo. _Damn..._

I heard her chuckle amusingly at me as I stared at her, completely astonished, when she moved away a little. _Holy shit, where did that come from? A minute ago, she was this radiant, beautiful and friendly young woman, then, all of a sudden, she transformed into a sexy, mischievous little minx!_

"Well, nice to see that I'm still able to catch men off guard like that. Love your reaction, family man". She teased. "Anyway, I gotta go now; I hope you will resolve your family matters smoothly and have a good time visiting Republic City. Please, take care. Also, it was nice to meet you, Mister Saudorn", Azara spoke amicably, extending her hand.

"It was nice to meet you too, Miss Azara. You take care as well". I nodded and shook her whitish, feminine yet firm hand.

After that, she beamed me that effulgent smile again, turned around and started walking towards the main spa building. Halfway there, she suddenly halted, turned around again, walked back to me and said:

"What's more, I hope that you're a single man, because I don't want to be labelled a 'home wrecker'. Do I have your word, Mister Saudorn?".

"Uh... Yeah, you have my word, Miss Azara".

"Good. That settles it, then". Smiling, off to the main spa she strode, after receiving my answer.

I kept looking at her ( not her rear, mind you ) 'til she entered the building. _Well, that was something. Interesting encounter._ I looked down at my left hand which was still gripped it lightly. Ideal customer, eh? Chuckling to myself, I put the golden business seal inside my jeans's left pocket and proceeded to cross the whole place, heading towards Republic City

...

After crossing the other bridge, I went past identical small cottages and cherry blossoms, a small forest and approached the city's checkpoint. It was a great structure with three entrances: A two-way lane for automobiles entering and leaving the city and a small entryway for pedestrial travelers going in and out of the city. The structure's roof looked like that of one from China: Shaped with glazed tiles. There was a short line-up of travelers waiting to have their papers checked by two cops, who, sensed by my powers, were certainly metalbenders. It was a shame that Esillith didn't give me papers and shit to go through the checkpoint without any trouble; however, he wanted me to try my powers some time later, so this must be it - the opportunity.

I observed the line-up while getting to join them. There were five people in total: Three females, one of them was an elder, and two males, one looked 40-ish and one was a teenager. As I watched them, I saw that one of the males, the teenager, probably 16 or 17, was behaving like a punk, shouting towards the cops, demanding the cops to "hurry their asses". _Very good, punk, you give me the excuse for my... little exercise._ I stood a bit far away from behind the teenager-with-an-attitude, patiently waiting for his turn. When the cops came near the old woman, one of them pointed at the teenager and told him to stay quiet, just like he'd done twice before. Seeing that it was my cue to act, I kicked the little shit in the ass hard, making him stumble forward in surprise; pretending there were flies flying around, I pointed my index and middle finger from my right hand at his left arm discreetly and mimicked the act of waving the insects away, causing him to deck the first cop right in the nose; falling flat on his stomach. The second cop immediately tried to subdue the bastard. And that moment of diversion, and luck, as there was no one else behind me to witness what I did ( the people in the automobiles surely got used to all the shouting and stuff so I think they wouldn't mind ), was all I needed. Quickly, I walked past the entryway while everybody's attention was on the ruckus behind me. _Fools._

When I was pretty far away from the scene, I put my duffel bag down, unzipped it and took out the Republic City Map, intending to look for a fitting place to take a rest. After a while, I decided that the Republic City Four Elements would be the ideal place for some eating and sleeping ( and, boy, was I so wrong! ). Now that I was inside the city, and the hotel was not too far away, I put the map back inside the bag, zipped it, set it back on my right shoulder again and strode towards the direction of the iconic hotel building, the song We Have Arrived by Dark Angel playing in my head.

We'll hit the blazing stage

in a glare of smoke and fire!

We will provide the metal

just for your desire!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We're on the top now!

And the lights are shining bright!

We're faster than ever!

Can you feel how tight

we'll thrash you with our spikes?

Can you take the power?

Can you take the strain?

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

Now, the lights are off!

And the curtain is closed!

We'll keep moving on!

Another town, another load!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

We have arrived!

 _I have arrived._


	6. Chapter 5

**I do not own the songs and lyrics of The Morning After by Tankard and The Hunter by Iced Earth, all credits go to these two great bands who've been entertaining metal fans for years. And I still do not own the Legend of Korra for obvious reason I've mentioned in previous chapters. Feel free to read and review. Thank you.**

 **Chapter V - Foundation/The Ultimate Encounter**

 _Damn, this is a huge building._ Standing before the Republic City Four Elements Hotel, 10 meters away from it, I marveled at the place's magnitude: Containing ten floors, the height of the hotel made people strained their neck skywards to be able to see the roof. I walked to the hotel's left side and observed its shape. So far, the building's left wall had the same length with the entrance wall, so the foundation had a square form; now, this combined with the ten floors equaled a gigantic quadrilateral column. And with excellent imagination, one could picture that this building was a modern pillar of eternity, created by the Republic City people with a blueprint from either Avatar Aang or the Spirits of old themselves. Even though I couldn't see the hotel's entire roof, I knew it must look impressive all the same, all light blue, with occasional yellow decorative touches. The body itself was all white, consisting of many tall, great glass windows; at the front, there was a great entrance veranda with roof of the same blue as the hotel's, which was quite nice. Above the veranda, there was a long, big red sign with Chinese-like words, and I guessed those were the hotel's name. Underneath the veranda, there was entrance steps, with a red carpet laid upon, to welcome travelers and national leaders who could afford luxurious services ( and talk about luxury, I shouldn't have chosen this hotel as a place to eat, rest, sleep and whatnot; but, oh well, it was too late to regret anyway ). When I'd inspected the building's left side, I saw a side entrance ( or exit ), which didn't have a veranda above it, thus, made it look naked to me; but maybe that was their choice of design.

After, satisfying my survey of the iconic building's appearance, I approached the veranda, ignoring people looking at me and whispering to each other, probably wondering what sort of a person I was ( a human, you fuckin' fat cats ), and entered through the open doors. Once again, I was impressed, this time by the place's interior design. There were yellow, red and brown everywhere. The ceiling looked arched upwards, creating an upside down concavity, making people feel the ornate lobby was more spacious than it really was. At the end of the lobby, there was a reception counter with a brown body and a red countertop, and there was also a young female receptionist standing ready to admit new-coming guests and to complete procedures before the guests leave. I approached the counter and the receptionist beamed at me.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to the Republic City Four Elements hotel! What can I do for you?".

"Good afternoon", I replied politely, "I'd like to book a room today for a month. Do you have any vacancy?".

"Yes sir, we have several rooms available for today on the third, sixth and seventh floor". The receptionist answered my question after checking her notebook. "Is there anyone else with you or you are just alone, sir?", she asked me another question.

"No, just me".

"Then, would you like a room with a king or queen-size bed?".

I raised my right eyebrow at the question. Is this even a question? Upon seeing my raised eyebrow, the receptionist stammered.

"Of- of course, sir. A... room with a king-size bed it is. Uhm, would you prefer a room with a view of the whole city?".

"As lovely as such suggestion, I don't think I'm interested in the view, thank you", I lied, just like I did to Azara, yet this time I felt a stab of regret in my heart.

"Very well, then, sir. Here is the vacant rooms, please choose now".

I looked at the list of vacant rooms from the young woman's notebook, taking my time. After a short while, I chose room 314, handing the notebook back to her.

"Your room is ninety-four yuans and five coins per week, 30% discounted because you are a new-comer, clearly". The receptionist stated flatly. "Now, what name would you put under your booking?".

"Saudorn Zalear".

"Could you please spell your name, sir?".

"Sure. S-A-U-D-O-R-N Z-A-R-L-E-A-R".

While the young receptionist was writing down my name on her notebook, I unzipped my bag, took out my money pouch and gathered a bunch of bills and five coins. Ninety-four yuans and five coins per week! Even with 30% discount! That means I can only afford two weeks with two hundreds fuckin' yuans! Fantastic ( did I tell you I was wrong, choosing this damnable hotel? Yeah? Well, now I change my mind: I was so very frickin' wrong! ). The receptionist eyed me with suspicion when I put the bunch of bills and five coins before her. She gave me back some bills immediately and took the rest and put them in a drawer to her right. After that, she gave me the key to my room and instructed me where to go.

"To get to your room, take the elevator on the right up to the third floor. Turn right once you exit the elevator and your room will be on the left hand side. Do you need a bellboy to help you with your bag?".

"No, thank you, I can manage on my own. Oh, and lest I forget, what time is check-out?".

"At midday, sir".

"Thank you very much".

"My pleasure, sir. Have a nice stay at the Republic City Four Elements Hotel".

Giving the receptionist a nod, I did what she'd instructed me: I came near the elevator door and pressed the 'Up' button to call the elevating machine. Then, I waited. And while I was at it, I glanced occasionally at people coming and going and at the young receptionist. Whenever she caught my glance, she just stared at me blankly; sometimes, she looked at my metal outfit amusingly too. To tease her a bit, I flexed my biceps a little while smiling at her, causing her to blush deep red and look away shyly. But to be honest here, if she was Azara, I was only making a fool of myself, because, you just can't have a chance against that minx! However, with the young receptionist, I could have some teasing fun with her all day like a pro ( Markiplier:"I'm too pro! ). Anyway, it was much funnier when I caught the bellboy rolling his eyes to himself and slightly shaking his head in annoyance now and then. As the elevator arrived and dinged, I turned towards the far wall opposite the elevator and walked backwards knowing that there was no one else inside, using my powers, beaming at the young woman, making her shake her head as well, while spotting a small smile of her own. I relaxed as the elevator door closed and closed my eyes, thinking about what'd transpired in the lobby, at the reception counter. Yet I felt relaxed not for long, when the price of the room I'd chosen came to mind.

 _Damn Esillith for this. He should have given me more money, like three hundreds or four hundreds yuans or something._ But I remembered the reason he'd given me only two hundreds yuans had to have something to do with the "saving money, being humble" bullshit. Or Had he seriously wanted me to work, to have a job, in this world, this bending world? Of course I knew there were nonbenders who had jobs too. But this was the beginning of the Equalist Movement era, meaning the jobs for nonbending people were just shit. So, how the fuck was I going to have money now? Robbing the rich and scumbags? Well, Esillith had mentioned "stealing from bad guys", namely shitfaces like the Triple Threats Triad. Nevertheless, after that, when they were gone, who was I to rob then? Suddenly, the elevator dinged again, suggesting that I had arrived at the floor I wanted. Sighing gently, I exited the elevator, turned right, looking left to find my room. _310, 312, 314- Aha!_ Putting the key inside the lock, I turned it, unlocking it, opened the door, entered, closed it behind me and re-locked it. Setting the duffel bag near the bed, I felt tired all of a sudden; quickly throwing my denim jacket at the coat hanger, not bothering to see if it landed there or not, and taking off my shoes, I jumped on the comfortable king-size bed and let my body feel the rest it deserved, eyes closed, preparing to travel to La-La Land, full of wonders, no pain.

...

In my dream, I saw that I was lying on my stomach, on a massage table, in one of the massage parlors, back at the village resort, taken care of by none other than the beautiful Azara herself. Her hands felt great on my aching shoulders, the back of my neck and along my tense back. The way she applied pressure on me, the way her fingernails gliding from aching place to aching place, made me think that she was longing to experience me as a lover, to be dominated by the body, the specimen she was contacting with; and despite this feeling, she had to be professional about all this. Man... Sometimes, she even went all over my butt, eliciting a yelp in surprise from me, laughing mirthfully before sliding her hands down to my legs, then feet. It felt like Heaven, it felt like something I needed daily, desperately. It felt like I was addicted to her massaging! It made me desire her more than ever, it made me not think straight, it made me- _Fuck all of it, I want you now, Azara. Now!_

I abruptly turned on my back, grabbing her hand, pulling her stumbling upon me, and kissed her fiercely and longingly. Goodness, those sweet lips... Those tantalizingly sweet lips! I couldn't help it, I kissed her for as long as I was able to, no, as long as we were able to. And when our lips parted, I lovingly gazed at her fa-

"Korra?", I uttered incredulously, "What are yo-".

Immediately, a strong, dark-skinned index finger silenced me. Then, our lips met, our hands roamed each other's body. _My Goodness, she's naked. She's completely naked!_ My hands cupped her round breasts as hers pressed against my chest, then they moved down to caress her firm and fit abs and finally rested on her taut and solid butt. This was more than anything else I'd ever wanted, more than my deepest desire before the Legend of Korra had ever been created! _Korra... Oh how I yearned for you..._ When both of us had to stop the lip-crashing because we were all out of breath, I tremblingly whispered in her ear while she kissed my neck:

"Korra... I... I love you".

"Aw, thanks; I love you too, buddy. Sadly, I'm not Korra".

 _Wait a minute, that voice... The fuck?_

"The fuck is right, Father". Zulathulhu's face replaced Korra's. "You're going to be fucked, hard!", he shouted at me.

Then, out of nowhere, blood-red, spiked tendrils appeared around me; and before I could do anything, each spike-tendril stabbed me all over my body, piercing me like the hooked chains did to Frank from the movie Hellraiser! I screamed in utter pain and agony as the spikes was twisted and turned to open the wounds on my body further! Blood oozed, then spurted forth from the great lesions and gashes on my flesh; pain and agony, no true pain and agony exceeded any I'd experienced from my birth to my first tooth extraction, to the car accident! There was nothing but gore, punctured flesh and torn muscles and sinew filling my crimson vision, causing me to wish desperately for a quick death. But such wish never came to pass, for Zulathulhu made the tendrils twisted and turned more violently, ensuring that I would receive the slowest and most agonizing death possible. However, out of some fucked-up sense of mercy, my archenemy punched my face once, just once; yet with the monstrous size and weight of his fist, my head was crushed to bits instantly, blood and brain matters splattered everywhere, jolting me up from the horrid nightmare, breathing erratically, heart pounding chaotically with a massively intense panic.

Subsequently, after two minutes of this brain-rushing, adrenaline-gushing state of mind, my breathing returned to normal again, the heart pounding lessened, making me feel calm and collective again. That was when I heard these sobbing and gasping sounds. So faint, so obscure. It even made me think I was hallucinating, letting my nightmare-assaulted mind play tricks on me. Withal this thought, my ears were really picking up sobbing and gasping sounds. Then, I found it, using my powers, connecting my consciousness to the source. It was a young woman, whose mind was kinda familiar to me. Where had I met her before? _Where did you meet her before, Saudorn? Think. Think! You must kno-_

"Oh my Goodness! Miss, are you okay?". I hurriedly walked towards the receptionist I'd met this afternoon.

Upon hearing me, the young woman whimpered fearfully, trying to press herself further against the corner where she currently was. Now I had to be careful. I didn't know what I'd done to her, but whatever it was, I knew I didn't mean it.

"Shh... It's alright, sweetheart, it's alright. No one's gonna hurt you, well, I mean I'm not gonna hurt you since there's no one else but us". I tried to speak to her as soothingly as possible.

"Please... Please... Don't come any closer".

"It's alright, sweetheart, I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise. Whatever you think I did to you, I didn't mean it. Now why don't you be a good girl and come back to bed?". I approached her further.

"No, please...".

"It's okay. It's all right, really. It's over now. You're safe. Lemme carry you back to bed, okay?". I put my arms under the young woman's legs and behind her back slowly and gently, lifting her up. "Attagirl. See? Isn't it simpler?". I spoke to her sweetly while I subconsciously realized that both of us were naked!

 _Great._

Now that the young female receptionist was in my arms, I bore her across the room towards the bed and put her on it softly. After that, I went to the other side of the bed and climbed into it, laying next to her. To prove to her further that I totally meant her no harm, I hugged her body close to mine and kissed her forehead. She resisted a little bit but I held her firmly and reassuringly.

"Sleep, my dear; then, we'll talk first thing in the morning", I whispered to her.

And to my surprise, she inched her face against my chest after wiping away the tears from her eyes. It took her a while to fall into a deep sleep. Me, I just couldn't because of the nightmare. _Guess I have to stay awake 'til morning then. Shit, what fuckin' time is it? Should have asked Esillith for a goddamn watch. Ugh._

...

 _Can this be or am I dreaming?_

 _What a mess!_

 _Woke up drunk, lying on the floor._

 _This cannot be, my place is trashed!_

 _Broken bottles everywhere!_

 _Vomit oozing down the stairs!_

 _I asked myself 'how did this happen?'_

 _Don't recall._

 _'Why the nasty, pounding headache?'_

 _'I need relief, where's the Tylenol?'_

 _Lying in my bed! With a swollen head!_

 _What did I do? I always regret_

 _the morning after!_

 _Morning's passed, now I think I remember._

 _Holy shit!_

 _Ugly bitch playing with my member!_

 _Mutated sow with an extra tit!_

 _Senseless ruckus late at night._

 _That's when we began to fight!_

 _Four A.M. and we were hungry._

 _Cooked some food, ate 'til the fridge was empty!_

 _Then we left, all our bellies, full!_

 _Now my brain feels like mashed potatoes._

 _Getting sick!_

 _I swear to kick this nasty habit!_

 _And never drink forevermore!_

 _Headache ceases, all is fine._

 _Getting thirsty, where's the wine?_

 _I cannot stop, though I'm seeing double._

 _Slosh again._

 _I know it's sad but I really need it!_

 _'Cause alcohol is my only friend!_

 _Lying in my bed! With a swollen head!_

 _What did I do? I always regret_

 _the morning after!_

The song The Morning After by Tankard was playing in my mind after I finished listening to Tanna's - the young receptionist - explanation. After I'd gone up in the elevator, Tanna felt a bit conflicted: She didn't trust me, yet she liked me in some way, especially when I'd flexed my muscles to tease/get back at her for being blank to me. After a long internal self-debate into the night, Tanna wanted to talk and apologize to me. So, she ended her own shift a little earlier than usual, then she called her friend, telling her to bring other work outfit to her and to begin her shift early for her, reminding the friend that she owed Tanna a favor in case the gal complained about it. When the other receptionist arrived, Tanna asked one of the cleaning maids to let her borrow the key to my room, given the fact that guests always lock their room's door after entering, for obvious personal reasons, then do whatever else they want. Next, she took the elevator to the third floor and came to my room, knocking at my door, asking if she could come in and talk to me. Many knockings and askings later, upon not hearing my response, Tanna was worried something had happened to me; thus, she used the key to unlock the door, then opened it, only to find out that I'd been sleeping since the afternoon. At first, Tanna intended to leave me alone, but her curiosity got the better of her. Therefore, she approached the bed and examined my features and my clothes. The more she did it, the more her curiosity grew; and no sooner had she decided to be bolder than she began to undress me and to explore my body intimately while I was asleep. She told me things happened so fast that she couldn't recall what she'd done with my body, only that she got naked as well and had the urge to have sex with me, which she did. In the darkness.

She rode me.

I was horrified hearing that, and I freaked out a little ( okay, I was very upset, not because she rode me without asking me, but because I could have knocked her up with a baby! Or you can say she could have gotten herself knocked up. But 'being knocked up' are the key words here! ). To soothe me being upset, Tanna told me that she was on birth control pill so I shouldn't be worried about it. I was skeptical, yet I chose to believe her simply because I wanted to hear the rest of the 'tale'. Anyway, she'd ridden me three times in total; the first two, it was perfect ( I ejaculated during the second ), but the third time...

In the middle of the third time, we were interrupted by my rather erratic and violent thrashing-about ( entered my nightmare ). Tanna was thrown off me and off the bed immediately. Despite this, she tried to wake me up, only to get hit across the face pretty hard. That, combined with the shouting and thrashing I made ( thank Goodness that all the rooms in the hotel were soundproof, or I would wake up half of the city right then and there ), led to her retreating towards a corner and cried miserably. Now knowing why she was afraid of me, I apologized to her and gave her five yuans as tip. She refused, saying that she didn't deserve the tip, that she should have gone home instead of mixing job with pleasure. Notwithstanding, she did compliment me that I'd made a nice sex partner and that I'd given her a short but very amazingly pleasurable night. To thank you, she suggested a free breakfast meal on the hotel.

After the breakfast, talking with Tanna, we resolved to be just friends and said goodbye to each other, as she was to start her day shift in a few minues. Now with a pretty full stomach, I left the hotel and decided to give the city a tour, checking to see if Korra had arrived here or not. First, because the Four Elements was situated near the City Hall, I was going to begin the tour with it. Second, I would catch a tram to go to the dock and see Avatar Aang Memorial for myself. Finally, I would go to the Republic City Park to rest or go straight to Narook's Noodlery for a quick lunch or something. Satisfied with the tour plan, I folded the Republic City Map three times, put it in my jeans' left pocket. Before I started walking, I patted my jeans' right pocket to ensure that my money pouch was still there; and it was. Now, with everything in order, I strode towards the direction of the City Hall.

After about twenty minutes of walking, I arrived at the City Hall. Just like Four Elements, the City Hall was really impressive; even more than the hotel if I said so myself. When you gaze at the building, the first thing that catches your eyes is the huge, green/blue dome, with a quadrilateral column plus a yellow, trilateral structure on top of it. There were four spires at the corners of the building, all had the same yellow structure overhead. In front of the City Hall, connected to it was a fairly great entrance with a big, yellow Chinese-like glazed-tile roof; there were also many entrance steps leading higher to the entrance structure as well. To illustrate the magnificence of the building, there were others in the background, imprinted to the scene by daylight. Just... splendid. I couldn't help but drink in the architectural brilliance before me. Shortly afterwards, having had enough of the view, I decided to move on, catching a tram to the dock. When I walked on the tram, the driver eyed me curiously upon seeing my metal outfit for the first time in his entire life. _Damn, too much attention. As much as I want this outfit, gotta change it once I'm back to the hotel._ To distract the driver, I asked him about the transportation fare politely and he told me that it costed three yuans. _So three yuans it is._ For the rest of the ride, the people on the tram stared at me like I was some kind of strange individual, and I didn't blame them. But I honestly didn't even give a fuck. A metalhead had to live with derision and being frown upon. I'd survived back in my own reality, without fantastic powers, fighting to be both a metalhead and a writer, and I'd won; well, sort of ( damn you, Zulathulhu, you motherfuckin' whining, insecure, eldritch horror-wannabe faggot ); what could the people in the World of Benders do to me? Before they all knew it, I would make them perform the Harlem Shake then drown them in Yue Bay's water for all I cared. I was a nice guy, as most metalheads were, or had been ( seriously, fuck you, Zulathulhu ); but you push my button, I push you into the abyss of oblivion. End of discussion, end of story, bye bye!

When the tram arrived at the dock, I exited and walked towards the railings preventing people from falling into the water, and looked at the Avatar Aang Memorial Island and marveled at the giant metal statue dedicated to Aang himself. The statue depicting a teenage Aang dressed in what seemed like traditional Air Nomad attire ( Tanna had explained to me much about the World of Benders, unintentionally picking up my memories watching Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra shows ), with the accompanying necklace which he'd worn when Fire Lord Zhuko announced the Hundred Year War's end at the latter's coronation. In the statue's left hand was a staff featuring the airbending symbol on its upper end. Aang's left foot rested on a slightly higher surface in the form of a lotus flower. The pedestal on which the other foot stood was octagonal in shape, with seemingly upturned tips at each vertex surrounded by railings. There was also an opening at the back of the statue, where a paifang gate connected the pedestal with a road linking the island to the dock, which meant I could go there right now and-

There was some commotion on the right side of the dock. I walked closer to the scene to see that a girl mounted on top of a giant polar bear-dog rushed out of the hull of a ship, unintentionally knocking a man into the water, waving at the dockworkers, thanking them for the ride. And suddenly, memories filled my vision: The first time I'd ever watched the Legend of Korra, seeing a girl in red-and-orange, training uniform kicking some guys' butts, who were wearing the same uniform. Then, flashing forward, I saw the same girl riding the same animal out of a ship, just like what I'd seen, wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, showing off two quite muscular, dark-skinned arms, the right one had a blue-and-white-intertwined band covering the bicep; blue winter pants with brown fur tied around the hip and a pair of brown-furred winter boots. Her hair tied into a pony tail from behind and two columns of long temple hair.

"Korra...", I whispered her name softly upon realizing who she was now.

When I concentrated again, she was gone. Alarmed, wanting to follow her, I raced back to the tram stop near the dock and waited impatiently for one to pick me up. _I have to find her! But where is she now? Downtown? Way past it? She was riding a polar bear-dog, and it was fast. Don't know how fast it was compared to an automobile, but maybe not that fast. Maybe... Ah, screw it, just go around and look for her, asking the people here; surely they saw everything. It's not that hard finding a girl fresh off the boat in this city, right? Right._

When the tram arrived, I got on it and handed the driver three yuans and rode it to the Police Headquarters, got off and asked around for a Water Tribe girl riding a polar bear-dog; yet no one saw anything like that. _Shit, she must have taken another path._ So, I was headed downtown and asked the people there and I finally got the answer: She was going towards the direction of either the Republic City Park or Central Station! Not wasting my time, I ran towards the park immediately, hoping to see her there. And, boy, was I right. After arriving at the park and after a short time of looking around, I saw her sitting near a pond alone, while her pet, I assumed, caught the fish and threw them to her, then refreshed itself in the middle of the pond. _What the hell is she doing with them fish- Oookay..._ She sticked 'em from mouth to end, then fried 'em with her firebending, inside a park. _Huh, the Avatar, what a gal. Okay, time to have a chat with the really really fresh-off-the-boat Avatar._ I approached her, working introduction in my head, when out of the blue, a vagabond came out of the bush nearby and they started talking. _Seriously, dude?_ To not make myself look suspicious, I moved towards the pond, a little further to the right of Korra and the vagabond, and listened to their conversation, pretending to be interested in the fish. The vagabond asked Korra if he could eat one of the fish and Korra allowed him so, continuing to talk to him. The conversation was transpiring quite casually when someone whistled on the bridge to my right. It was a park attendant. _Ow, my ears! Asshole._

"Hey, you over there! Stop what you're doing. You can't fish here!", he shouted.

Korra was a bit shocked, while the vagabond didn't waste time and hid in the bush right away. The Water Tribe girl whistled, calling out to her pet and jumped on it when it ran towards her.

 _Oh, no, no, no, not again!_ I ran after her alongside with the park attendant, but the animal Korra was riding was too fast and the poor bastard and I were left behind. I was lucky though; because before the Avatar could get far, I'd connected my consciousness to hers and maintained the link to be able to track her. However, luck smiled at me twice; for some reason, the girl was still in the park, not very far away. When she reappeared in my vision again, I saw that she had her attention on... according to what he was yammering about, I deduced that he was an Equalist protester.

"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders? Then join the Equalists! For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced nonbenders to live as lower class citizens. Join Amon, and together we will tear down the bending establishment!".

 _Very passionate. Not._

"What are you talking about?", Korra stated, "bending is the coolest thing in the world".

"Oh yeah? Let me guess: you're a bender".

"Yeah, I am". She returned the protester's counter.

"Then I bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some waterbending, huh?". The guy tried to provoke her.

"I'm seriously thinking about it".

I facepalmed. _She was easier to be goaded than a raging bull._

"This is what's wrong with this city! Benders like this girl only use their power to oppress us!", the protester declared, fueling the crowd with anger.

"What? I'm not oppressing anyone!". Korra was dismayed by what the worm-tongued fucker said. "You're... you're oppressing yourselves!".

I almost laughed out loud at that. _Oh my Goodness. This shit is some golden comedy material right there! Hilarious!_

"That didn't even make sense!", the protester shouted back after the departing Avatar, clearly taken aback by what she'd said.

I followed her as she exited the park, staying a bit further behind her. She was letting the polar bear-dog trot slowly now. When she arrived at a T-junction, she turned left into a non-specific street, looking at the shops and street signs around her in frustration. She was lost. After a while, she got off her pet and walked over to an elderly couple who were playing some kind of game, holding the animal by the reins.

"Excuse me, I think I'm lost. How do I get to Air Temple Island from here?", she asked the couple.

"Just head down this street", the old woman replied, pointing Korra towards the right direction.

Then, out of nowhere, there was the sound of an automobile's engine revving. I looked towards the source of the sound and, indeed, an automobile was approaching the shop. Several thug-looking guys exited the vehicle, and from what Tanna'd warned me about the criminals in the city, these six guys were the Triple Threats Triad gang members ( and if you see six guys, it means the other three were rookies ).

They started shaking the vendor down for more protection money. Two of them, both firebenders, created a small fire in their hand, intimidating the vendor and his wife.

"Give us the money, or else...", the leader, must be a waterbender, threatened.

"Or else what, hoodlum?". It was Korra who directed the punks.

 _Six against one, huh? This girl has the same gall as a Spartan woman does. Interesting._

The thugs laughed.

"Since you're obviously new here, let me explain a couple things. You're in Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital".

"You're the only ones who are gonna need a hospital", Korra announced as she smashed her right fist in her left palm, "and, for your sake, I hope there's one nearby".

"Who do you think you are?", the leader demanded.

"Why don't you come and find out yourself?". She grinned.

Angered by the girl's teasing answer, the leader bended a water bullet from inside his jacket at the Avatar, yet she simply guided it back to him, freezing his head and making him lose balance, stumbling towards her. Korra gave him a spinning kick to the head, causing him to slam against the hood of the automobile, shattering the ice immediately. I was really impressed with her speed. The song The Hunter by Iced Earth played in my head as I watched the Avatar fight the thugs.

 _A force of light - an angel!_

 _Sent through time - to destroy._

 _Avenging - the dark ones!_

 _Descending - angelic force!_

 _Heaven sent - the hunter!_

 _Her mission - to crucify!_

 _Slay - the hellborn!_

 _His offspring - demonic force!_

 _Descending - from Heaven,_

 _The angel swore to bring him down!_

 _The Hunter! The thunder!_

 _The wrath of Heaven coming down!_

 _She swore an oath - an allegiance!_

 _Armageddon - is in sight!_

 _To be the thorn - in the Devil's back._

 _To make him weak, the final fight!_

 _Descending - from Heaven,_

 _The angel swore to bring him down!_

 _The Hunter! The thunder!_

 _The wrath of Heaven coming down...!_

When the song stopped, I saw that Korra was kinda struggling with the rest of the Triple Threats Triad members as the rookies just kept spamming fire and water bullets and earthbending at the young Avatar. _Time to go to her rescue._ I ran towards the small battle, dodging fire and water bullets and earthbending, approaching the senior firebending thug, grabbing one of his arms and twisting it to his back. The punk screamed aloud in pain. Before his earthbending buddy and the rookies noticed what was happening, I waved my right hand rapidly, making the earthbender earthbend the rookies away; then, I kicked the firebender hard in the head, elimiating him, and threw him to the side. The earthbender turned his attention towards me, but too late! I already ran to him, jumping up and gaving him a vicious drop-kick, causing him to fly against a wall, unconscious. After that, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a vehicle rush towards me; quickly, I stepped a couple of steps aside as the leader of the group tried to escape in his automobile.

"You're not getting away!".

Behind me, Korra ran forward, flexing her arms in front of her, earthbending the automobile in the air. The vehicle then fell down and crashed into another shop, causing quite a lot of damage and mess. After looting the firebender and earthbender ( total sum = 100 yuans, meaning now I had one hundred ninety-nine yuans and five coins ) while Korra was 'admiring' her handy work.

"Got an idea about who I am now, chumps?". She chuckled arrogantly.

"Not bad, Avatar, that was quite impressive", I approached her and said.

"Who- How-". Korra looked baffled.

"I saw what you did against the Triad punks. I just put two and two together". I smiled politely. "My name is Saudorn Zalear. Nice to meet you, Avatar", presenting my right hand to her, I introduced myself.

"It's Korra, and, uh...". She shook my hand, looked confused.

"Oh. Pardon me for not spelling my name for you. It's S-A-U-D-O-R-N Z-A-L-E-A-R. And just called me Saudorn anyway". I chuckled.

"Nice to meet you too, Saudorn". Now Korra smiled back.

Before we had a chane to continue the conversation, we were interrupted by a noise which pretty much resembled... the police siren. _Cop blocked._

"Well, it looks to me like I gotta split. See ya!", I spoke to her and swiftly ran away before Korra could say anything, anticipating a chase shortly by one or two metalbending cops.

 _Heh, heh, what a day._

 **Note #2: Just fixing grammatical mistakes.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Note: Hi, everybody! Today's chapter delivered. By the way, this chapter contains mature subject matter, reader discretion advised. I still do not own the Legend of Korra for obvious reason I've mentioned in previous chapters. Feel free to read and review. Thank you.**

 **Chapter VI - Another Achievement/Another Day**

It was not long before the metalbending cops chased after me because of me running away from the scene. I looked back to see that there were only two of them, the rest must have stayed back to arrest the Triad scumbags and... possibly Korra herself as well, since she was responsible for that shop's damage. I didn't know about Korra but I was not gonna get arrested just because I helped her or... ran away. So, I quickly turned into a blind alley and waited for the cops. _The chase ends here, boys._ When the two cop benders 'caught up' with me, one of then barked:

"You are under arrested, runner boy! There's nowhere else to go, so surrender and we don't have to get messy!".

"Oh but I love to get messy. Problem is: You're the ones who'll get messed, not me, ooofficers", I teased them.

Upon hearing that, the cops rushed towards me in anger, determined to cuff me. And the fish takes the bait. I dodged the metal whips they lashed out at me, pointing my two index fingers at them, then I flourished my fingers together, making the two men slap each other across the face with one of their whips.

"Ooo, that's going to leave a mark". I chortled.

The policemen looked stunned, not fully realizing what'd just happened. Then, anger became... more anger, and they attacked me again, lashing whips sent forwards. I dodged again, just like I'd done, holding my arms straight forward, palms facing the opponents ahead. Next, I twirled my index fingers, looking like I was creating the shapes of two small, invisible funnels, causing the men to turn around, and mimicking the act of threshing the reins, letting their whips strike their own asses. Feeling the impact, the cops yelped in pain and rubbed their butts vigorously. I laughed out loud.

"Ouch! Not sure if you'll be able to sit today. Hee-hee!".

Now the men'd had it. They looked like they wanted blood right at this moment. _Good. Good! Let the hate flow through you. Give me your 100%._ The metalbenders ran towards me without lashing the whips this time. _Perhaps they want me at point blank range. Challenge accepted._ When they were just two meters away from me, they struck; yet despite their effort, they missed. _When are these two schmucks gonna learn that I am much quicker than them? I spent 504 hours of the four months with Esillith practicing footwork after footwork, and they think they can use point blank range against me? Amateurs. But anyway, the game is at and end, time to wrap this up._

First, I kicked the first cop's left leg, breaking his balance. Next, I dropped on my knee and foot in between the second cop and the tumbling one, picking up the standing man from underneath him and slamming him right on top of his buddy at once, back first, knocking the wind out of both of them. However, just to make sure, I jumped high and proceeded to Ghetto Stomp the human heap, satisfied that they wouldn't be up and about any time soon. Poor bastards.

"That looks nasty, but don't hate me! It's nothing personal, y'know? Yet I'm sure you bo-".

Suddenly, I felt something changed in me, I felt different. Not something physical or psychological, just... different. After that, I felt an urge to... Subconsciously, I lifted the cops up in the air using one hand, not touching them! As soon as I did that, I moved them back down to the ground. And then it was clear to me: Another part of my powers had been unlocked! I could control people like Jean Grey did ( I know she can do much more than that, but she was the only example I could think of at that moment ), without hurting them like bloodbending! I could lift them up, move them about, throw them away, even hold them steady in the air for a considerable period of time, just as John Landers'd done in my second novel! _This is so cool!_ Feeling super excited, I ran out of the blind alley and was headed back to the hotel. _If only Esillith saw this._

...

After quite a time, I finally got back to the hotel ( in my excitement, I'd gotten lost. But unlike Korra, I had a map, so I didn't have to ask around like she'd done ) at nightfall. Inside the Four Elements, I walked to the counter and talked to Tanna.

"Hey, Tanna".

"Hello, Saudorn. Did you have a good time touring around Republic City?". Tanna smiled at me.

"Better than good, to be exact", I replied, beaming at her.

"Oh? Care to elaborate that?". The young receptionist raised her eyebrow quizzically.

Leaning against the counter, motioning for the young woman to lean forwards in order for me to talk to her only.

"I met the Avatar near the park today", I spoke to her in a hushed tone, with a shit-eating grin.

"You what?", Tanna exclaimed hushedly, shocked.

"Yep, I met the Avatar today", I repeated what I'd said.

For a second there, the young receptionist looked awed. Then, she regained her composure and feigned skepticism.

"Sounds cool. Just not sure if real or not", she said.

"You didn't believe me, the guy you just rode to orgasm twice last night, because...", I teased her.

"because I'm secretly jealous?". She huffed pretendingly. "But seriously, you did meet her?". She leaned forwards again.

"Seriously, I did".

"Then you'd better tell me all about it over dinner tonight!". Tanna grinned.

"Dinner? We have a date tonight?", I said, surprised.

"We do now, as friends". The receptionist chuckled. "Meaning I really want to know all about it!", she quickly added.

"Well, as long as you don't want to ride me again after that". I chucked back. "But where are we gonna eat? Narook's Noodlery?".

"Ha, ha, that's a pair of nice jokes. Maybe they'll earn you a glass of sleeping-pilled wine and you'll wake up naked next to me".

I jokingly rolled my eyes at her, waiting for the answer to my questions.

"Anyhow, we're definitely not going to go there, we go to Kwong's".

"Kwong's? Is that the place you told me, like, is for the rich only? And it also requires rich people's clothes too, that place?". I was flabbergasted.

"The one and only. But don't worry, I'll get you the clothes. You just need to stay in your room, give yourself a nice shower and wait 'til I come in and show you them, okay?".

"Yes, ma'am!". I feigned a salute towards Tanna, then strode towards the elevator door and called the machine.

When it arrived, I blew Tanna a kiss and got inside the elevator, riding it to the third floor. After four minutes, I was inside my room, going for a shower, re-dressing, sitting on the bed and awaiting the young receptionist with 'my' luxuriant clothes. Forty-five minutes later, Tanna knocked on my door; I swiftly got to the door and unlocked it and let her in. Tanna then handed me the clothes, which looked more like a suit to me. To be exact, it was a formal suit, consisting a white dress-shirt with mandarin collar, black trousers with knee-breeches, a pair of long, black socks and a pair of black shoes, a brown belt, a matching jacket with fastening buttons and a black necktie. Nice.

"I'm going to change in the bathroom while you do the same out here. Is that okay with you?", Tanna spoke to me, holding her own formal wear. "And before you ask why I didn't change earlier, it's because I want to make Anyu jealous a little bit".

"Sure, no problem. And who's Anyu?".

"My friend". The young woman grinned, dashing into the bathroom before I could get more info from her.

 _Well, if she wants me to find out by myself._ I shrugged and proceeded to change into the suit Tanna'd brought to me. By the time I was almost done ( been fumbling with the necktie. To tell you the truth, I have never worn one and never felt the need for it. Let's just say I'm too informal for that shit ), Tanna walked out of the bathroom and we stared at each other in astonishment. She looked beautiful ( though not as beautiful as Azara, if she was ever in formal wear ), wearing a pink, knee-length, Chinese-like fit ball gown, with her shoulder-length, black hair set naturally down, instead of putting it in the Classic Chignon Updo Hairstyle. Then, the young woman approached me and helped with the necktie.

"There, all nice and perfect now", she muttered.

"You look gorgeous" was all I could say.

Blushing prettily, Tanna looked away for a moment, then she looked at me in the eyes and thanked me. I nodded and gave her my left arm for her to hold, evoking a girly giggle from her. I smiled at her. After that, we exited the room, I locked the door, we went to the elevator and took it down to the ground floor. Coming up to the counter to hand the key to Anyu, a young woman the same age as Tanna, who had the Water Tribe look.

"Spirits, you two look great together", Anyu complimented us, trying to hide her jealousy towards Tanna.

"Oh, Anyu, you'll find Mr. Right one day, don't you worry", Tanna teased her friend. "Anyway, Anyu, this is Saudorn, the one who I've been talking to you about; Saudorn, this is Anyu, my best, and sometimes worst, friend".

"Hi, Anyu, nice to meet you" I presented my hand towards the young Water Tribe gal.

"Hello, Mr. Saudorn, nice to meet you too. Now I wish I accepted Tanna here's suggestion of working day shift. I would like to see how good you really are in bed, because she just kept going on about how wonderful you were". Anyu shook my hand and teased Tanna indirectly.

Tanna blushed for the second time that evening, then glared at her frenemy, making me chuckled aloud. After saying goodbye to Anyu, I and Tanna left the hotel and caught a tram to Kwong's Cuisine. When we arrived there, I was pretty impressed by the place. Kwong's was an upscale restaurant, standing four stories high and exhibiting highly extravagant exterior design. The building looked like a Chinese temple or pagoda, though with more modern influences as a symbol of the city's multinational culture. A wide, green door on the ground floor was used as the main entrance into the restaurant, and was 'accompanied' on both sides by two great panes of glass. Above the entryway was a red overhang and two wooden balconies on the 3rd and 4th floor. In front of the 4th floor, nailed to its balcony was the big, orange sign bearing the building's name. _Yep, definitely for the rich only._ From the inside, Kwong's gave me an even stronger impression: The main hall of the restaurant was flush with red rugs, ancient tapestries and paintings, as well as thematic furniture. A stairway led to the dining area, which was dimly lit with yellow light to provide ambiance. Adorning the walls were fancy scrolls ( not Elder Scrolls, heh heh ), curtains and lanterns. The tables were circular, each with a rose vase and a white tablecloth; the tables were framed in heart-shaped booths ( aww, ain't that nice? ). Over dinner, I told Tanna about how I'd seen the Avatar at the dock, how I was trying to find her, what she was doing at the park and how she took care of a Triple Threats Triad group. And of course, I excluded my involvement in the fight, not wanting her to know what I was capable of, yet. During the talk, Tanna listened intensely, getting excited whenever I described the Avatar in action despite her fresh-off-the-boatness. _Guess she's a loyal fan of the Avatar for life now._ After I finished the tale, Tanna exclaimed enthusiastically:

"Wow, that was awesome! I have read so many tales about all of the Avatars in the past, including Avatar Aang; yet what you said was even more exciting than all of them combined!".

"That's because she's living in the same period as you do, I guess", I replied, smiling warmly.

"Well, now I am jealous of your luck, you meeting the Avatar, as much as Anyu does mine, me meeting you!", Tanna declared. "I demand you to help me meet her as well!", spoke my 'date' with a big grin on her face.

"I don't know. Not sure when I will meet her again. But when I do, I'll ask her about it". I winked at her.

"Oh, you'd better! Or else... I will suck on this thing forever and make you sit on your butt, not being able to do anything 'til the end of time". Tanna put her hand on my crotch discreetly, 'threatening' me.

"And here I am thinking we're just friends".

"Pardon me for being brutally honest, but you are one fine specimen, and I'll be lying if I say any other girl beside me doesn't want to go right dirty on ya, given an opportunity". Tanna laughed softly. "Anyway, talk about fine specimen and opportunity, did the Avatar feel like that in front of you?".

"So far, my name confused her more than me impressing her with my appearance. Credibly because she's seen males like me before when she was still in her Water Tribe place".

The eyes of my 'date' brightened.

"You are a Water Tribe guy too?", she inquired me immediately.

"Oh no, that was not what I meant. I meant the Water Tribe men are well-built like me". I shook my head jokingly.

"Oh", Tanna uttered timidly, embarrassed.

"Regardless, we are late and we should return to the hotel now. Waiter!".

Fifteen seconds later, the waiter that'd previously brought the meal to us came to the table and I paid for the food. And it turned out the price was quite... expensive. Sixty-three freakin' yuans! Oh well. Sucking it all up, I gave him sixty-four yuans and told him to keep the change as tip. After that, we exited the restaurant and caught a tram back to the Four Elements ( Tanna still wanted to pay for the fare ). When we arrived at the place, I left the tram and waved goodbye to Tanna as she'd told me that she would take the tram straight to her home. I looked at the departing tram 'til it was covered by the night, then I went inside, came up to the counter and talked to Anyu a bit. It turned out that she was really from a Water Tribe, and the Northern Water Tribe at that. Her first three months here in Republic City was pretty difficult, yet she somehow managed, working as a tram driver. And one day, fortune smiled upon her. On her way home from work one night, Anyu saw two men cornering a young woman, wanting to harass her or worse. Being quite intolerant towards crime, Anyu rushed to the girl's rescue and waterbent the hell out of them, despite the fact that they were both firebenders. That cornered young woman was Tanna. Soon, friendship blossomed between them, and upon knowing that Anyu was working hard as a middle class citizen, trying to earn as much as possible, Tanna told the Republic City Four Elements manager to hire Anyu since she was quite good with numbers and not too brash ( unlike Korra ). Anyu's life changed dramatically at that point. From a middle-class worker, she went on to work for the Four Elements as a receptionist, her new source of income making her life easier. When I heard her story, I offered my hand and congratulated her and wished her life to keep it the way it'd been for two years straight. The receptionist shook my hand and thanked me passionately, giving me her best wishes too. Then, she told me that someone'd had the bellboy deliver a bag into my room. I asked her who that person was and she shook her head, saying that she had not gotten a good look at him, wearing a big hood and all. I shrugged and went up to my room and changed to the Changshan which Esillith had given me. Afterwards, I I saw the bag, a big duffel bag, on the bed when I was walking towards it. I unzipped the bag and found that there were clothes, for both going outside and staying in the room. On top of the clothes were a note and another money pouch. I read the note first.

"Dear Saudorn, I'm proud to see that you have unlocked another part of your powers, even though you were kinda rough on the policemen chasing you. These are your rewards for what you've accomplished. Just remember: Saving money is a virtue. See you at the next achievement unlock.

Your friend.

P.S. : Also, congratulations on having your first fun and meeting the Avatar at last. I saw that you were quite a lady man, and you and Korra would make a good tag team. Keep it up, son! Anyhow, don't mind the nightmare, it's just a dream; believe in yourself, you hear?".

 _Huh, so he did see me with my new powers after all. And my embarrassing moment with Tanna._

After looking at the back of the note to see what else there was ( nothing ), I checked the inside of the pouch and... _Three hundreds freakin' yuans! Fuck yeah!_ Now I didn't have to worry about my financial problem anymore ( at least for some time ). Satisfied, I put the pouch and the note inside the bag, zipped it and set it down on the floor, next to my first bag. Next, I went to the radio and listened to every channel available to see if the news of Korra's arrival had reached the media or not. And honestly, there were so many frickin' channels in the damn thing! After a while, I fell asleep, trying to cover all of the channels in the radio...

...

"Hello? I'm Korra, your new Avatar". The radio crackled.

"Does this mean you've moved to Republic City?".

"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?".

"Will you be fighting crime or the Anti-bending Revolution, or both?".

 _The fuck? Who's askin-_

"Will you be working with Chief Beifong and the police?".

"Uh... yes, I am definitely here to stay, but honestly, I - I don't exactly have a plan yet". _Korra?_ "See, I'm still in training, but, look, all I know is... Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world, and I believe we can make his dream a reality". I jolted up, wide awake. "I look forward to serving you!".

 _So the news is finally here._ I listened for more from Korra.

"I'm so happy to be here. Thank you, Republic City!", Korra announced excitedly, her voice pretty loud, via the radio.

"All right, that's all the questions the Avatar answers today. But this is good news, now that we know the Ava-". _That was it? Pfff._ I turned off the radio and lay down on the bed again.

Deducing from what I'd heard from the radio, I knew now that Korra didn't have much trouble with the police as I'd thought she would ( kinda ). Therefore, maybe it'd be okay to go meet her again. Question was: Where did I find her? Maybe she lived on Air Temple Island? One way to find out. Immediately, I got out of bed, brushed my teeth and washed my face, then ordered breakfast. After that, I grasped my carefully money-divided pouch, put it in my new pants' left pocket, not forgetting the map as well, went down to the ground floor, handed Tanna the key and told her that I would go to Air Temple Island and talked to Korra. Tanna nodded and complimented me with my new clothes, asking where I'd gotten it. I lied, telling her that my parents from my home nation sent it to me. Upon hearing that, she complimented me again and I said goodbye to her and exited the hotel. Once outside, I caught a tram to the dock, and from there, I followed the road connecting the dock to Air Temple Island and arrived at the isle after a half-an-hour walk. Upon my arrival, several White Lotus guards came running down the stairs, shouting at me:

"Halt! You have to turn around and go back to the city, sir. Visitors are not allowed on the island anymore. If you fail to comply, we will have to forcefully remove you!".

 _Ah, the island's security. Quite intimidating. I can handle them. But "visitors are not allowed on the island anymore"? That won't do. I can't come all the way from the hotel to here for nothing. Better feed 'em some lies, and some truth in-between, 'cause force is out of the question._

"I heard that Councilman Tenzin is a wise man, and I have some inner problem lately, which I would like to have an advice or two from him. I am just a simple, honest nonbender who only need help resolving this inner problem of mine. Furthermore, we are all living in an age when there is this thing called 'the Equalists', and if they know that you refuse to help me, their belief in 'the evil of benders' only grows stronger. With your 'help', of course. So... Would you let me pass, honorable guards?", I spoke to them politely.

The guards looked at each other, then stepped aside, yielding the way for me to walk up the entrance steps, entering the temple. Next, I looked around to see if Korra or Tenzin was there, yet no one was around. _Goddamn it, I forgot to ask the guards where Tenzin is._

"Excuse me, who are you? And what are you doing here?". A gentle, female voice spoke from behind me.

I turned around and there was a young woman, maybe an Air Acolyte.

"I'm here to see Councilman Tenzin. Is he on the island?".

"He's training Avatar Korra at the spinning gates. Just follow that path and you'll find them". The woman pointed to a path to my left.

"Thank you", I said and gave her a smile. The woman smiled back and bowed slightly, going back to her duties of the day.

I followed the woman's instruction and walked along the path she'd shown me, to a corner, turned right and entered a courtyard, walking up another set of steps. Before me, I saw Korra, wearing what looked like an air nomad outfit, standing next to a bald, tattooed man with a long and pointed beard. They were facing what I assumed the spinning gates. Slowly, I walked over to them, when all of a sudden, I was swept off my feet by a great gush of wind, surprising me; then, I saw Tenzin turn around. He guided me towards him and asked me what the Air Acolyte'd asked:

"Who are you? And what are you doing here? How did you get past the guards?".

 _This man possesses great powers, though not as great as Esillith's, but great powers nonetheless. The only way to get out of this is to tell him the truth._

"I don't think you want to do this to a nonbender, sir. I know you're suspicious, but if you put me down on the ground again, I will tell you without... being slightly inconvenient", I spoke to the Councilman as calmly as I could.

Korra giggled and told Tenzin:"Let him go, Tenzin. He's a friend".

Once I was put down on the ground standing on my feet, I bowed towards Tenzin modestly and answered his questions:

"First of all, my name is Saudorn Zalear. S-A-U-D-O-R-N Z-A-L-E-A-R. But you can call me Saudorn. And as the Avatar said, I am her friend. Second of all, I'm here to see Korra, as a friend. Finally, those guards let me in because I told them I wanted to meet you and seek one or two of your advices".

"You told them what? How dare you blatantly lie to them like that? Tell me what your true purpose is, or I'll-".

"Or you'll help the Equalists strengthen their belief simply because you are about to airbend at a nonbender".

Korra's eyes went wide upon hearing that I was a nonbender.

"You are a nonbender? But you were as fast as a bender oneself!", she exclaimed.

"What are you talking about, Korra? Did he try to attack you?". Tenzin looked at Korra.

"No, no, it was not something like that". Korra frantically shook her head, trying to steer the conversation away from misunderstanding.

After that, she told Tenzin about the fight with the Triad, again, involving me this time. I was surprised that Korra left me out of details when she'd talked to Tenzin the day before. Seeing that I was pretty confused, Korra explained that she didn't want Tenzin to know that she'd already make friends since her arrival at the city yesterday. When she was done explaining, Tenzin spoke to me, scolding:

"So you were the one who was responsible for one of the thugs' concussed head and the disappearance of all of their money".

"Actually, I just loot two of them; and, hey, they were the bad guys, and I only loot bad guys. Honest".

"Still, that is not the right thing to do", Tenzin grumbled.

"Oh, come on, Tenzin, just let the issue go already. It's the past". Korra intervened on my behalf. "Also, that was a one-time thing, right?", she spoke to me, suggesting me to play along.

"Absolutely, Korra; and it was just in the heat of the moment, that's all, sir". I nodded towards Korra and directed Tenzin.

"Ugh, fine. Now can you please try this exercise again? It is essential that you master something as basic as the spinning gates, Korra". Tenzin turned to Korra.

Korra sighed dramatically and walked over to the gates. Suddenly, I realized that there was a bunch of kids standing near Tenzin all the time. Probably his children. They were looking at me curiously. The youngest one, a boy, looked kinda dumb; the second one, a girl, just stared at me; the eldest, also a girl, grinned at me. _Ah, the annoyingly overcurious little cousin/sister/whatever. Pleasure to bug the hell outta you._ Finishing giving me her grin, the eldest stepped forwards and launched a big gush of air towards the gates, making them spin very fast. Korra took a deep breath and rushed to the gates, yet instead of making her way through, she was knocked all over the place like nobody business, then she had enough of it. She lost her temper and began to firebend at the wooden panels, almost destroying all of the contraption.

 _Congratulations, you just beat the Hulk at raging._ I looked over to the four people alongside me and saw that they were completely shocked, especially Tenzin.

"That... that was a two-thousand-year-old historical treasure. What is wrong with you!?", he shouted, fuming with anger.

"There's nothing wrong with me! I've been practicing, just like you taught me, but it isn't sinking, okay?", Korra vented her frustration, "It hasn't clicked like you said it would!".

Tenzin tried to smooth over the situation, calming himself, then said:"Korra, this isn't something you can force. If you would only listen to me...".

"I have been! But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe the reason I haven't learned anything yet is because... because...". Gasping, Korra pointed at her master. "Because you're a terrible teacher!", she shouted at Tenzin and angrily stormed off.

Tenzin sighed and bowed his head in dejection and his two daughters hugged him for comfort. The boy, however, imitated Korra's tantrum and ran around, kicking and smashing shit, making me chuckled aloud. Tenzin looked at me in confusion. I stopped and told him, winking:

"Don't worry, sir, I'll see if I can cool her down".

Then, I ran after Korra...

 **Note #2: Grammar and italics**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII - New Lesson/Against The Odds**

"Korra, wait!", I called after the Avatar as she was still storming off to wherever she was headed to.

"Not now, Sadin, I'm not in the mood to talk!", she grumbled aloud angrily.

"It's Saudorn. And I just want to tell you something", I said, finally catching up to her.

"What is this 'something' that you wanna tell me about?".

"It's about the, uh, I assume that was the airbending training. And it didn't go really well, did it?".

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, sorry you had to see that. But, you know, I just couldn't do it; I mean, all this airbending stuff is just so... so...".

"Timidly puny? Unnecessarily tedious?". I suggested the words for her.

Korra giggled when she heard me say those words.

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, it was too hard to concentrate; the meditation, the spinning gates...".

"I see. Well, I'm not a bender so I don't know much about bending training, but from my wrestling training experience, nothing is tedious. Trust me".

"Wrestling? What is that? Is it some kind of a martial art?". Korra stopped in her tracks, turned to me and bombarded me with questions.

I chuckled. "No, Korra, it's a combat sport involving throws, takedowns, joint locks and pins. If you want, I will show you".

"Then let's do it". Grabbing my left arm, Korra enthusiastically pulled me forwards, running to the destination in her mind.

 _She is one strong young woman. Damn strong._ I was a fairly big guy and she did it like I didn't even weigh much. While running, I studied the arm the Avatar'd used to pull me: It was kinda dark, pretty muscular and obviously strong. The dream I'd had the first night I slept in my room, in the hotel, came back to me with such vividness that I suddenly felt that yearning for her again. _No, Saudorn; technically, you just met her, it's not time yet._ But my dick was waking up, stubbornly refusing to go back to sleep, as if arguing with me. _Well, you fucked Tanna the very night after you've met her, like, several hours before. Why can't I have Korra?_ Grinding my teeth, I willed myself to suppress the urge to wrestle Korra on the ground and make out with her right then and there. When we arrived at the destination, I saw that it was another courtyard, though this one was smaller than the one that contained the spinning gates. Stopping alongside me, Korra said:

"So, what do you think? Is this good and far away from Tenzin enough for you to show me wressling?".

"It's 'wresTling', Korra. Anyway, I... don't think this place is good enough for a practice", I replied, then cut her off from asking why by putting my left hand before me, palm facing the Avatar, signaling her that I did not finish yet. "You see, where I'm from, people have this thing called a 'wrestling ring' or a 'wrestling mat' to let from amateur to professional wrestlers to practice in...".

I went on to describe the shape of the ring and the mat and the functions of the things to Korra in order for her to picture how dangerous it would be to practice wrestling without the ring/mat.

"So, in other words, the ring/mat functions as a safety device, protecting practicers from injuring either themselves or their pairing partner. I don't see any ring or mat here, so, maybe I'll just show you one of the most basic skills of wrestling. What do you think?", I said.

"Aaand... what is that basic skill?", Korra asked me curiously.

"It's called 'footwork' ". I grinned.

"Footwork?". She repeated the word.

"Yep, watch me".

I stood in front of the Avatar, putting my feet pretty close to each other, then I proceeded to half-jump with my feet taking off upwards, one after the other, with slow speed at first. Korra stared at my feet intensely, waiting to see something extraordinary. _You wanna see it, here it is, sweetheart._ I began to pick up the speed, and Korra's eyes widened with fascination; but, soon, it turned to astonishment as I was reaching the maximum speed I could perform. _Time to surprise her a little bit._ Quickly, I jumped backwards, breaking Korra's concentration, her eyes blinking, trying to register what'd just happened. After that, with great pace, I performed a long jump towards her, approaching the young Avatar 'til my face was inches from hers, our noses nearly touched one another, and jumped backwards again, as swiftly as I'd moved forwards, startling her.

"Whoa, what just happened?!", Korra exclaimed in amazement.

"I moved really fast was what happened, Avatar Korra", I teased her, using her full title.

"That was amazing! You were truly fast, like lightning fast! I need you to teach me that, now!", Korra shouted out loud in excitement, "then, I will use it to pass the spinning gates exercise and get rid of it for good!".

"First of all, Korra, I will teach you. Second of all, however, you can't, and you won't, use it for the spinning gates thing", I spoke to her seriously.

"But why? It's exactly what I need to pass the spinning gates... thing!".

"Because, my dear Avatar, that practice is basic airbending training, and airbending doesn't always require speed. I say this not because I suddenly understood airbending, but because from what I saw, the gates spun too fast, not even my speed can help me, or you, get through them. However, like I said, airbending doesn't always require speed, meaning maybe instead of moving super fast, you have to slow down. You heard what Tenzin said, you can't use force all the time".

Korra huffed audibly, clearly not approved of me sharing Tenzin's opinion. I chuckled. _She behaves like a child, an Avatar. Well, children love candy, and Uncle Saudorn has many candies._

"Now, now, now, don't be upset", I talked to her in a sweet voice, "tell you what, let's just forget all about the airbending practices for now and focus on your footwork first. What do you say?".

Korra looked away, crossing her arms tightly around her chest and closing her eyes, without a doubt feigning stubbornness. _No problem, I just have the medicine for that._ I walked over to her, watching her peeking at me through her almost closed eyelids. When I stopped in front of her, she shut her eyes completely, but that didn't deter me one bit. I began to chuckle, at first lowly; then, a bit louder, making Korra's mouth twitch, yet she willfully suppressed it. Not stopping, I turned the chuckle to chortle now, while making the sound a bit louder than before; Korra's mouth immediately turned into a smile, yet she was not laughing. I wanted her to laugh, and she was not Batman. Without warning, I added a quality of ridiculousness in my chortle and raised the sound higher. Could not contain it anymore, the Avatar burst out laughing, and I laughed along with her. _Mission... complete!_ ( cue Metal Slug victory music here ). From afar, we two looked like we'd lost our minds, laughing like maniacs. Nevertheless, I didn't mind; I'd promised Tenzin that I would cool her down. And I did! Now I had a promise to fulfill.

"Alright, you win, Mister Funny Man. Can you teach me how to move fast like you did now?".

"Certainly, young Avatar". I grinned at her.

And for the next hour, beneath the sun, I taught her how to improve her footwork, making her jump in one spot like I'd done, for ten minutes. Next, I made her move back and forth, left and right and move about chaotically for another ten minutes. Next, I taught her how to fake movements to fool the opponent or opponents for fifteen minutes. After that, I let her take a breather for a full minute, then combined all the practices that I'd taught her and made her perform them for the rest of the hour. When she finished all the practices, I decided to give her a little test.

"All right, Miss Avatar Korra, are you ready for a test?". ( R.I.P. Andrew Martin, a.k.a. Test :( )

"Whenever you feel like you can take on the Avatar, Mister Teacher". Korra smirked arrogantly.

And so the test began. First, we circled around cautiously, finding each other's unprotected areas. I didn't know if Korra was able to find mine... _Hopefully, she doesn't aim at my balls like Cassie Cage always does in Mortal Kombat X, that would be a "holy balls!" moment..._ but she obviously had a lot. Legs too loose, stomach not covered, face not covered as well, etc... Of course I wasn't gonna punch her in the face, but there were just so many unprotected areas to exploit. Next, Korra decided to attack first, being the impatient, pugnacious Avatar herself, rushing at me. She was going to punch me with her flaming right fist. _Trying to cheat with bending, huh? Not gonna work, sweetie._ Swiftly, I side-stepped, dodging her fist, fire just inches from my face, grasping her right arm by the bicep and pulled back to the position whence she'd started.

"Very fast, but not enough, sweetheart". I smiled smugly at Korra.

Grumbling, Korra rushed towards me again, changing the element she was using from fire to water, moving in a zigzag to confuse me. _Nice thinking. But a good plan with bad performance..._ When the Avatar was near me, she waterbent a big blob of water bullet, aiming at my stomach. Just like last time, I side-stepped again, avoiding the water bullet. However, it was just a fake move, and Korra took full advantage of that and gave me a roundhouse kick to my back, knocking me down on the ground, on my stomach. But before she could subdue me, I stood up and counter with a brilliant step-up Enzuigiri, aiming at Korra's left shoulder and connecting with it. The young Avatar cried out in pain and dropped to the ground, holding her hit shoulder... _and not enough experience... results in a bad outcome._

"Gotta give you some credit, Korra. That kick to the back was pretty nasty". I touched my back, checking if everything was okay. "Yet you need more than that to bring me down", I taunted her again.

The Avatar stood up, turning towards me, looking pissed off, real pissed off. _Good, give me your 90 or 100%, Avatar. See if you can beat me this time._ With a frustrated shout, Korra firebent then waterbent at me repeatedly. I dodged her attacks easily, racing towards her now. Then, I sensed it, her anger, her desire to defeat me, her intention... to earthbend me! _Shit! Time to cheat a little._ Before the earthbending happened, I rapidly waved my left hand, once, wildly, redirecting Korra's aim somewhere else, approaching her, tackling her to the ground and gripping her arms above her head, pinning her. And for the longest period of time, we just stared at each other in the eyes, breathing heavily. She looked so beautiful... All sweaty, her skin bright with perspiration. _Goodness._ So beautiful that I just wanted to kiss her. Yes, I wanted to kiss her, my facing inching towards hers, my lips aiming for hers. _So near, so desirable..._

Suddenly, there was a sneezing sound somewhere around us, pulling us out of the trance we were in... _yet so far away. For the love of-_ Hastily, Korra pushed me off her and scrambled away, eyeing me with astonishment. Still looking at her, I stood up; then, my mind sensed another presence near me and Korra, in one of the bushes. Walking towards the bush, I pretended I was aiming for its neighbor and pulled an airbending girl out of the targeted scrub by her shirt's collar. It was one of Tenzin's kids.

"Ikki! What in Spirits' names did you think you were doing, spying on me and...", Korra gasped aloud, chiding the girl; yet she was embarrassed, trying to mention me, "... my friend like that?".

"So are you and Korra like boyfriend-girlfriend?", the girl exclaimed excitedly, ignoring Korra.

"Nope, we're not, we're just friends", I replied, putting the girl back down on the ground, on her feet".

"No, you're not! I saw you two kissing! I'm gonna tell Daddy if you don't admit it!".

"Ikki, we were not kissing. And if you tell Daddy, then I'll tell him you were spying on us. Run along now", Korra told the girl, her face serious.

"Aww...".

I smiled softly at the girl's disappointment. "You heard the Avatar, run along now", I pressed the airbending girl gently.

Korra walked over to me and stood alongside me as we looked at Ikki running away, probably back to her parents' room or something. When the girl was gone, the young Avatar turned to me and said:

"Thanks for teaching me more about footwork. And I'm sorry I didn't pass your test. Guess I'm a loser after all".

"You're welcome. And no, you're not a loser; you just misunderstood my test is all. See, I tested you not to see if you'd pass or not, but to let you learn from mistakes and gain experience. Nothing or no one teaches you better than experience. Of course I didn't mean that Tenzin is a terrible teacher or anything. I meant: If Tenzin teaches you airbending, then experience teaches you not to repeat mistakes you made. You've made a mistake today by letting anger get the better of yourself and you will remember it 'til you understand it. Just give it some thoughts, okay?".

"Thanks. I think I will". Korra nodded, then she looked down at her clothes. "Well, I'm all sweaty now and... Oh, no, I smell! I have to take a bath! Also, you look like you need a bath as well. So... would you like to... wait in my room while I freshen up?", Korra stammered.

"Uh, why do I need to wait in your room? I mean, there must be bathrooms, one for males and one for females, right? Or is it a unisex bathroom?". I was puzzled by Korra's suggestion.

"Oh, no, there are two bathrooms alright. Each is in two different dormitories: Men's and Women's Dormitory. However, because you are new here, I don't think the male Air Acolytes are gonna like your presence; it's better to use the the bathroom in Women's Dormitory", Korra quickly explained. "After all, I'm the Avatar, and if I say the whole bathroom is occupied, it is". She grinned.

"But how about my clothes? Once I take a bath, I can't just wear them again. And the males' clothes here ar-".

"Perfect for you!". Korra cut me off. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that one of the male Air Acolytes yields a pair of clothes to you. You just need to wait in my room 'til I'm done bathing, okay?".

"Oookay...". I sighed.

"Great! Let us go then!".

Before I knew it, Korra grabbed my right arm and led me away, excited. _Jeez, she just loves doing that, doesn't she?_

...

So, while I was waiting in her room, Korra went to take a bath, and... it'd been too long since she was gone! Goodness, I swear females from my reality ( okay, OUR reality, readers ) never bathed or showered that LONG. Well, perhaps there were some; but they were all GONE, DEAD and gone. Or worse. So they don't count anymore. Anyway, with nothing to do, I didn't have a choice but go through her things to kill time ( NOT her clothes, mind you! I'm not a perv ). And even then, I was still bored to death! Aside from being the Avatar, Korra gotta be the simplest girl ever! Then again, she was a Water Tribe gal. Not that Water Tribe women are boring or anything, they were just... plain and simple to the point of- _Oh, fuck it, it's not their fault. It's, uh, it's Esillith's fault! Or mine? Should have thought of asking him for a frickin' electric guitar_ ( and a watch! ). _Anyhow, if she's still not finished yet, I may have to sing The Lemon Tree by Fool's Garden_ ( my boring song. Because if you listen to metal when you're bored, there's something seriously wrong with you ) _out lo-_

"Hey, sorry for the wait, I was, uh, I was-". Korra opened the sliding door to her room and walked in.

"No need to explain, I understand, Korra". I cut her off politely, smiling gently at her while mentally scolding her.

"You d-do?", she stammered for the third time today.

"It's girls' stuff, I suppose, taking care of their hair and body meticulously and all that. It's none of my business", I replied as nonchalantly as I could.

"R-right".

"And I see that you've got me a male Air Acolyte's clothes and a towel right there". I lightly pointed at the stuff she was holding with her right arm.

"Oh, yeah, I have!". Korra looked at the things. "Here they are. You can use the bathroom freely now. I told everyone in this dormitory so... no one's gonna... intrude on your moment". She gave me the clothes.

I chuckled at her joke, nodded, and followed her to the bathroom. Once we were there, I proceeded to go in when Korra grabbed my arm.

"Before you take a bath, take off your clothes and... give them to me, then I'll hang them- I mean wash them!". She blushed.

"What, right now? Are you out of your mind? I can't just-". I started to protest.

"No, you blockhead, you... do it inside the bathroom and throw your clothes out to me".

"Why didn't you just say so?", I said, pretty annoyed.

I entered the bathroom, got naked then did what Korra told me, the clothes flying out through the held-ajar door, closing it right after. I heard Korra growl softly then walked away. When I was sure she was gone, I looked around. The bathroom was simple, almost identical to a traditional Chinese one, and I said "almost" because not everything was made out of wood. The wall and floor were covered with what seemed like linoleum, even the bathtub was an alcove one. The tub was pretty big, having enough space for two adults ( female, of course ). _Okay, enough with the inspection. Time for a bath._ I filled the bath with hot and cold water at once and stepped in and... realized that there were no shampoo and soap for men! I groaned. _Brain, you gotta be kidding me. Forgetting to tell Korra to get men's shampoo and soap? Unbelievable._ Sighing heavily, I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there in the tub. There was no way in hell I was gonna use girls' stuff. Not even when Korra was in here with me; okay, maybe I would reconsider it if she was indeed having a bath with me. But alone, like, now? Uh-uh. However, it was not that bad though; I mean, at least I'd get rid of all my sweat, immersing in the warm water. After all, this'd been how primitive people bathed. Of course I was not a primitive person, but I'd rather be primitive than- There was a pretty loud gasp which interrupted my thought. I turned towards the source and was mortified to see that it was the eldest of Tenzin's kids. _I'm going to kill Korra. I'm going to kill her so dead!_ Realizing that I was aware of the girl's presence, she quickly darted out of the room and slammed the door shut in the process. _Tenzin's going to kill me upon hearing this. Great, just great._ Sighing again, I walked out of the bathtub towards the clothes rack, grabbed the towel and dried myself, then put the random male Air Acolyte's clothes on and exited the bathroom with the towel on my shoulder, heading back to Korra's room. The Avatar was sitting on her bed, gazing at the wall opposite her, appearing to be in deep thoughts. Either that or she was daydreaming. Upon hearing the sound of the sliding door, Korra was startled back to reality.

"Oh, you're back. That... that was quick".

"Yeah, thank to you". I grumbled.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?". Korra was confused.

"One of Tenzin's kids, the eldest, walked in on me, 'intruding on my moment' ", I replied dryly.

"Jinora? Oh Spirits, no". The Avatar facepalmed.

I put my hands on my hips, standing in front of her, waiting for an explanation.

"I... I didn't know Jinora was going to use the dormitory's bathroom! She always uses the one near her parents' room!".

"Couldn't you at least warn her? Maybe give her some subtle hint?".

"Are you crazy? She and Ikki would never let me hear the end of it!", Korra argued.

Damn it, I forgot that I knew the eldest is the annoying cousin/sister/whatever type. Shaking my head, I sat down on the bed next to Korra, then asked her:

"So what do you think we should do? Tenzin will kill me for this".

"Don't worry, I'll tell him the truth. At least he'll scold me instead of you", Korra replied.

"Korra...".

"It's okay, I know Tenzin. He's not that strict. Plus, I'm a big girl, I can take it". Korra smiled, making me smile back warmly.

"Well, one can only hope for the best. Anyway, what do you wanna do next?".

"I don't know. I mean, I wanted to go watch a pro-bending match tonight, watching the Fire Ferrets play, but Tenzin didn't allow me to go. He even didn't allow me to listen to the match via radio, for crying out loud!", Korra spoke to me and complained.

"Hmm... Maybe you should sneak out tonight and meet me at the arena. Does that sound okay to you?". I suggested.

Korra's eyes became cheerful instantly.

"Really? Did you mean it?", she asked hopefully.

"Of course I meant it". I winked at her.

And the next thing I knew was that Korra hugged me tightly. Too tightly.

"Uh, Korra... Can't... breathe... here".

"Oh, sorry!", Korra uttered an apology, releasing me.

Then, we just kinda stood there and looked at each other. Awkward. After a while, I broke the silence.

"Okay, uhm, see ya tonight then", I spoke to her and got to the door quickly, wanting to end the awkwardness.

However, I suddenly remembered that I'd promised Tanna I'd ask the Avatar to meet her. Turning around, I said:

"Well, lest I forget, I have a friend of mine who wanted to meet you. Sh- I mean, that person is a pretty big fan of yours. What do you say to that?".

"I guess it's alright". Korra shrugged. "As long as 'that person' is not queer or anything".

"I assure you there's nothing queer about that person". I grinned.

"Then there's nothing to worry about, I suppose. Anyway, do you want your clothes back now? I've bent all the water out of it after washing it, so you can wear them again now".

"Nah, you can keep them for now, tomorrow I'll come to take them back". I winked at her again.

Needless to say, Korra blushed for the umpteenth time, at what I'd just said, evoking a small laugh from me. Saying goodbye to her, I exited the room and was headed to the temple entrance. On my way there, I saw a group of female Air Acolytes going about their duties of the day, and upon seeing me, they giggled and whispered to one another. Some even blushed when I caught them checking me out. Just to be polite, I smiled at them, causing them to giggle a bit louder. There were also another group of male Air Acolytes nearby, looking displeased at my presence; and I noticed one of them was staring down at me, probably the guy Korra'd asked to let me borrow his clothes. Still smiling, I slightly bowed towards his direction, then got going again. When I was near the entrance, I met Tenzin walking back up the steps, clearly just had a conversation with the White Lotus guards. He asked me where Korra was and I told him that she was currently in her room right now, trying to hide my anxiety, hoping against hope that Jinora hadn't told him about me 'bathing' in the bathroom in the Women's Dormitory. So far, Tenzin was polite to me, and was relieved to hear that I'd managed to calm Korra down. To my surprise, he thanked me and extended his hand, indicating a handshake, expressing his gratitude. I shook his hand and we said goodbye, then I walked down to the entrance. I'd seen Tenzin eye the Air Acolyte outfit I was wearing, yet he chose not to say anything. Credibly because I'd done the impossible, impossible to him: Calming Korra down. Also, I thought perhaps Jinora'd chosen not to tell Tenzin about her incident today after all. If she was not a little girl, I would kiss her all over the face for a long time out of appreciation next time I met her. She was cute, that girl; but there was a social and moral taboo about kissing underage girls, so I was not gonna do it. When I reached the temple entrance, one of the guards saw me and confronted me.

"You lied to us, you didn't come to meet Councilman Tenzin, you came to meet the Avatar", he accused me.

"I did", I conceded, "but at least I didn't come with the intention to harm her or anyone else. Surely Tenzin's told you that". I smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something important to do tonight".

The guard grunted in displeasure, yet stepped aside and yielded the way for me nonetheless. I approached the ferry, entered it, paid the fare and rode it back to the dock; after that, I caught a tram to the Pro-Bending Arena and bought two tickets for me and Korra. _Everything is said and done, now all I gotta do is wait._

...

 _Goddamn it, where the hell is she? It's dark now and she's still not here!_ I paced back and forth at the entrance of the arena, still waiting for Korra, my patience was slowly reaching the boiling point. After another five minutes, I went inside through the reception hall, passing a long line of people who had reserved tickets and approaching the ticket booth, asking the young, female ticket attendant:

"Excuse me, Miss, when will the match begin?".

"9 O'clock, sir. But the time was also in the tickets", the young woman replied.

I mentally facepalmed. "And do you mind if I ask what time it is now?", I asked again.

"It's 8:43 p.m. now, sir".

Upon hearing that, I thanked the woman and quickly walked away. _Seventeen minutes more and the match begins. Where is she?! Ugh, I swear if she pulled out at the last minute, I'll give her an Ankle Lock of her lifetime! Or maybe she did sneak out and arrived here but didn't use the entrance. Suppose she did that, what am I gonna do?_ Sighing, I entered deeper inside the arena and looked around for Korra. For all that is good, she'd better not be lost or something. After a while, when I was passing by some gyms, I heard some people, a male and a female, arguing aloud over... something like... sneaking in without paying! It's her! Finally! I walked in the gym and saw Korra still arguing with an old man.

"... I'm taking you to security", the old man drawled.

"No, wait!". Korra protested.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! ( literally ) ", I exclaimed, interrupting the argument, walking over to Korra. "It's alright, man, she's with me. I have her ticket right here", I flashed the old guy the ticket.

The Avatar brightened when she saw me. Swiftly, she spoke:"Yeah, I'm with him". She then took the piece of paper from me.

"Ah, I don't care. Get out of here! I got work to do". The old man raised his arms in annoyance and started lifting one of the barbells on the floor near him, using his earthbending.

We got out of the gym and Korra immediately chirped:

"Thaks, Saudorn! Seriously, your timing was not more right!".

"Yeah, you owe me one now". I grinned. "But, really, didn't that old guy listen to radio or something? You were at the press conference, meaning the whole city must have known you're here already".

"I don't know. Maybe he just didn't care, like he said". Korra shrugged.

"Maybe. Anyhow, the match is gonna start soon, let's go!", I urged her.

With that, we came running to the seat area and looked for our seats, however... _Holy shit, the damn place's packed already!_ We looked in dismay at the full seats. There was no empty seat left! Just our luck. After looking around for a while, Korra asked me, worried:

"What are we gonna do now? There's no seat left!".

I looked about frantically, trying to find a solution. Then, luck decided to smile. I detected what seemed like a balcony near the playing field; of course there were two balconies, but the one I was looking at was connected to a locker room where a team who was in red-and-orange pro-bending uniforms. I asked Korra:

"You told me that you wanted to come here to watch the Fire Ferrets play, right?".

"Yeah, I did. But what does that have anything to do with finding a seat?". She looked confusedly at me.

"The best seats in the place". I pointed at the balcony from the Fire Ferrets's locker room".

Looking where I was pointing, Korra understood.

"That's wicked! Come on, let's go, we can't waste time now!".

Grabbing my arm, Korra once again pulled me running away, this time towards her favorite team's locker room. But she didn't know where it was and I didn't either. However, I have the ability to deduce, so it wouldn't be hard for me to find our destination. Tapping Korra's arm, I told her this and she reluctantly let go of me. _Time for a payback._ Suddenly, I grabbed her arm and did the same she'd been doing to me, surprising the bending out of her, making her laugh happily. When we approached the private booth, we stopped and I intended to knock on the door, but Korra kicked it open and waltzed in like she owned the place, knocking some guy back on his ass. Upon realizing what she just did, both of I and Korra rushed to the guy and and frenziedly apologized to him, helping him up. And before he spoke, someone else behind him bellowed:

"What is the meaning of this?".

We looked at the guy. He was tall and lean, slightly muscled ( not as much as me. But believe me when I say I didn't look like the Animal - Batista or the 'Roided-Up' Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson ), hair moussed up at the front ( or it stayed naturally that way ), looking stoic and brooding, his hands aflame, ready to strike. Before Korra said anything, I placed my hand on her shoulder and resolved to do the talking.

"I'm sorry we intruded on your private moment before the match. But my friend here is a big fan of yours- I mean of the team, and she wanted to be here and watch you guys play. However, the arena seats were full, so we didn't have a choice but come here. I apologize for her earlier demeanor...". I stopped and looked at Korra briefly, finding out that she was giving me a dirty look, choosing to ignore it and turning my attention back to the guy. "... and hope there are no hard feelings between us". I presented my hand for him to shake, but he didn't and silently went back to his locker. _Huh, trying to be a dickhead with me, hu-_

"Oh, it's absolutely all right! No hard feelings, no hard feelings at all! Especially to the fans of the Fire Ferrets!". The guy who'd been knocked off grabbed my hand and shook it repeatedly, speaking loudly, overexcited. _Jeez, ease up a little bit, will ya?_ "By the way, name's Bolin. That guy who just talked to you is my brother, Mako. The other is Hasook. Nice to meet you!".

"Name's Saudorn. S-A-U-D-O-R-N", I responded, hearing Korra chuckling as I spelled my name for Bolin. "And this is my friend, Ava- I mean, Korra".

"Nice to meet you", Korra spoke, then shook Bolin's hand, "and so... Mako? Wow, I-I heard you playing on the radio". Korra offered her hand, walking towards Mako, who was moving towards the balcony.

"Come on, Bolin, we're up", he spoke to Bolin, ignoring her

 _A-hole._

"... or I could meet him later". Korra looked to her outstretched hand, dejected.

"Yeah, sorry about that. My brother just gets real... focused before a match", Bolin said lightheartedly, putting his helmet on and tying the strings, "Okay, I gotta go, wish us luck! Not... that we'll need it".

Both of I and Korra walked towards the balcony's railing, looking at the Fire Ferrets being transported to the playing field, standing on a moving platform. "Good luck. Knock 'em out!". Korra struck the air with her right fist while I nodded towards Bolin and the team.

After that, the lights went off. Then, the announcer announced the name of Mako's team from the center of the field, holding a mike. "Introoooducing... the Fire Ferrets!". There was a light switched on, highlighting the team. Bolin and Hasook were waving to the fans, while Makon stood still, keeping himself calm, or stoic. There was a loud scream from a fangirl somewhere in the area. "Ahhhhhhhh! I love you, Bolin! Ahhhhhhhh!". Subsequently, a voice from someone who sounded like a color commentator resonated all around the arena.

"The rookie Ferrets came from out of nowhere, and have made it further than anyone expected this season. But tonight, they face their toughest test yet, folks".

Korra looked at me, excited. "I'm so excited, Saudorn! This match is gonna be great!".

"Yeah, I think so". I concurred, and Korra turned her attention back to the field.

In the field, all the players took on a fighting stance. Five seconds later, a bell was struck, and the teams started bending!

"And they're off! The two teams waste no time trying to blast each other out of zone one!", the commentator said.

Bolin ducked under a fire blast and Mako fired one himself. Bolin raised an earth disc with his hand and kicked it to his opponent. The firebender of the other team immediately destroyed the disc with a quick fire arc from his hand. He then retaliated with two blasts. Hasook dived on the ground to avoid a fire blast; as he got on his feet again, he pulled up water from a grate nearby, using the water to block a fire blast, but slided back a bit due to the power of the blast.

"Hasook is the first to feel the heat of the Tigerdillos! He tries to return the favor, but they're too fast for him, while Mako shows off his trademark "cool under fire" style!", the commentator shouted.

 _'Cool under fire', heh._

Hasook pulled up more water and blasted it at the other team and the opposite earthbending player nimbly cartwheeled to his right out of the way of the water blast. As he stood on his feet again, he raised an earth disc with his hand and kicked it over to Mako, who collectively moved out of the way of both the disc and a fire blast. He retaliated with two fire blasts, before ducking under a water bullet and avoiding another earth disc. Mako shot a fire blast at the earthbender opponent. The firebending and waterbending opponent moved to the front and attacked, and Hasook and Bolin were hit with a water and fire blast respectively, knocked backwards into zone two! I looked over to Korra and saw her gripping a railing bar anxiously.

"Oooh, the Tigerdillos score with a walloping one-two combo! Can their teammate hold on to their zone one territory?".

Bolin and Hasook quickly scrambled on their feet while Mako directed his attention again to his opponents. Korra were clutching her head in despair now. Mako jumped up and spun around his axis in the air, successfully avoiding an earth disc and fire blast. As he landed after flipping out of the way of another fire blast, he was hit square in the chest by an earth disc; as the impact of the disc pushed Mako's foot over a metal grate, it immediately lighted up red and a horn blew. "Guess not! Mako's over the line! The Tigerdillos get the green light and advance into Ferret territory!". Korra raised her fist again. "Come on, Ferrets!". The Tigerdillo waterbending player now directed a blast at Mako. However, the water was blocked by Bolin's earth disc; Mako jumped up and sought to for a payback with a fire kick at the waterbender. The waterbending player jumped over the fire blast and kicked an earth disc out of the way, and the disc hit Hasook and knocked him back to zone three.

"Looks like Hasook's in trouble! He's in zone three teetering over the drink!".

Mako jumped over a quick water blast direct at his feet and the blast traveled on and hit Hasook. Another earth disc and water bullet pushed him over the rim. "And Hasook takes a dip! He'll be back for round two!". Mako and Bolin dodged an earth and water attack. Bolin raised an earth disc to protect himself against a water blast, but was pushed back to zone three. Mako landed in the third zone as well the moment a bell rang.

"Round one goes to the... Golden Temple Tigerdillos!", the announcer declared.

"Come on, Hasook! Get your act together!", Mako shouted at his waterbending teammate.

The bell was struck again. The Tigerdillos launched a frontal attack and the Fire Ferrets were pushed back in the second zone, the line separating zone one and two turned red. "The Fire Ferrets are knocked into zone two and the Tigerdillos advance!". The Tigerdillo earthbender directed a disc at Hasook, who blocked it with his waterbending. Both Mako and Bolin attacked the other team members. Bolin knocked the earth disc at one of the opponents. The Tigerdillo waterbender countered. As soon as his water blast left his hand, he was hit square in the chest by Bolin's earth disc. Mako punched two fire blasts and Hasook sent two water arcs at the Tigerdillos. Bolin raised and fired an earth disc towards the Tigerdillo earthbending player and he was knocked back a zone. Then, the firebending and waterbending members were hit back by a fire and water blast, respectively. A bell signaled the end of round two. Mako panted and remained stoic while Bolin and Hasook were celebrating.

"The Fire Ferrets cinch the round in the closing seconds! It's one apiece, still anyone's match as we go into the third and final round!".

The bell was struck and both team jumped back. The Tigerdillo waterbender raised some water and aimed at Hasook, causing him to tumble out of the way and quickly run on to avoid another water blast. Hasook then armed himself with some water and the Tigerdillo earthbender raised a disc. Nevertheless, Mako destroyed the disc with a fire punch and Hasook shot his water bullet. As Bolin launched an earth disc, Hasook was hit by a water blast and crashed into Bolin, entangled with him. "Hasook stumbles, and now he tumbles right into his teammate!". Wasting no time, the Tigerdillo earthbender raised and kicked away a disc. "He and Bolin better untangle quick if they don't want to...". And the disc knocked the tangled Hasook and Bolin off the field. "... oh, too late!". Hasook and Bolin fell into the water, a buzzer sounded.

"Oh no...", Korra groaned.

"It's all up to Mako now!". Mako ducked under a water blast, avoiding three fire blasts, and evading two earth discs. "He's bobbing and weaving! He's weaving and bobbing!". Mako stood at the rim of zone three now. "But he's not hitting back! If Mako's knocked out, the Ferrets' fabulous season is over!". _Clever, he's waiting for his opponents to either make a mistake or present an unprotected area._ I looked to Korra and saw that she was pulling her pony tails in suspense.

"Don't worry, Mako'll be alright, he's waiting for his opponents to make a mistake", I told her.

"How do you know?". She blinked.

"I just know. Look, he's not countering", I pointed at Mako.

Korra perked up and replied:"You're right, he's not! I hope he'll end the match soon!".

However, the Tigerdillos showed no sign of starting to display mistakes, they just kept attacking fluently! _No way. There's no way a human being can do anything repeatedly without making mistakes! Not even professionals! Maybe..._ Closing my eyes, I focused on the minds of Mako's opponents. _There they are. Let see... Oh, son of a bitch! They are cheating with some sort of 'roid! Oh no, pathetic worms, you won't win._ Swiftly, I pointed at a random seat in the arena, shouting:

"Look, Korra, is that Tenzin?".

Korra looked mortified, gaping towards the direction I'd pointed. Taking full advantage of it, I hurriedly flicked my fingers at the Tigerdillos, causing them to stop bending. Mako saw the opportunity and punched a fire blast, vaporizing a water bullet and made contact with the waterbending Tigerdillo member, knocking him off the playing field. "And his plan is working! Han is in the pool!". Mako's action sparked a song in my mind. Feel The Fire by Overkill.

 _Eat through the mounds of steel, sift through the metal!_

 _Belly full, another deal, stopping would be fatal!_

 _'Round and 'round spins a forty-five. Is it vinyl or a bullet?_

 _One to kill, one keeps alive, get on your knees and suck it!_

 _Looking down the barrel, the feeling of new power!_

 _Lock up the weasel, feel the reign of terror!_

 _Crawling! Scratching to stay alive, he's lying on his belly!_

 _One finger needed to rip apart the soul Belial carries!_

 _Point your finger, scream in vain, not a soul is listening!_

 _Never fast, you'll feel the pain; long, cold barrel glistening!_

 _Down the dead end street I strike to kill the weed!_

 _I call the Devil, laughing as you bleed!_

 _Prepare for your new life!_

 _Satan waits tonight!_

 _No one cried when it was over, your life, it had no meaning!_

 _Even friends of J.A.R. quickly lost all feelings!_

 _You had warnings, you had time, well, that was all you gave it!_

 _Said one day you'd be mine, your life you couldn't save it!_

 _Angels raining down, the stories that they tell!_

 _J.J. played with fire, now he burns in Hell!_

 _Prepare for your new life!_

 _Satan waits tonight!_

 _Higher, higher, feel the fire! She burns at the stake like a witch!_

 _Cut her! Slash her! Slit her throat! There's nothing I despise more than a bitch!_

 _Burn her tonight!_

 _Run, hide from the Demon's fate, too late, the fire is lit!_

 _Come in and sit for a while. Come in and feel the fire!_

 _Feel the heat, feel the fire, fire of desire!_

 _Fall in! Fall in! Ahahahaha!_

 _Feel! The! Fire...!_

Mako, then, kicked multiple fire blasts. "They've got nothing left in the tank and Mako is on the offensive! Yet it's still two on one!". The Tigerdillo firebender was knocked back by a fire blast against the back pole of the ropes and fell in the water. "Scratch that, it's one on one, and it's an earth and fire slllugfest! There's so much smoke and dust from the firefight, I can't even see where the Fire Ferret is!". Mako and the earthbender kept attacking each other. Mako's fire blast destroyed the earth discs in full flight, covering the field in dust. He shot a powerful fire arc in the dust cloud and the last member of the Tigerdillo was knocked back into zone three. The earthbender retaliated, raising a disc in front of him with a concentrated look, his eyes wide open. Mako emerged from the smoke, a fire ball ready in his right fist. He used the momentum of his descent to increase the power of his blast and knocked the Tigerdillo off the playing field, plunging down into the moat. Finally, a bell was struck multiple times.

"It's a knockout! What a wing-dinger of a hat trick, folks! Mako pulls off the upset of the season, winning the match for the Fire Ferrets!", the commentator declared.

 _Not bad. Not bad at all._

Mako took off his helmet while the crowd went wild. Korra looked at the playing field in awe and smiled broadly. Then, out of the blue, Bolin jumped back in the locker room.

"Woohoo! Yes! One more win and we're in the championship tournament!". He snapped his fingers, taking off his helmet casually. "So, what'd ya think, Korra? Bolin's got some moves, huh?".

"What did I think? What did I think? That was am azing!". Korra grabbed him by his shirt's collar then pushed him backwards enthusiastically, causing him to stumble away. Mako and Hasook walked up towards the locker room.

"You did more harm than good out there. You almost cost us the match!", Mako accused Hasook.

"We won, didn't we?". Hasook took off his helmet, annoyed.

"Barely!".

"Get off my case, pal!", Hasook barked back, throwing his helmet aside, exiting the room, slamming the door shut in the process.

Mako shook his own head. "Useless".

"You guys were incredible out there!", Korra exclaimed excitedly, "especially you, Mr. Hat Trick!".

"Oh, you're still here?". Mako spoke coldly.

"Oh, you're still a jerk?". The Avatar glared at him, irritated.

Bolin and I both chuckled at that, the first added "Ooh!".

 _Everything occurs pretty smoothly tonight, I guess. Another nice night._

 **Note: Just fixing stuff.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Note: Hello, everybody! Sorry for the wait. I've been writing this chapter for two days because my writing schedule is always disrupted. Furthermore, the more I write into Legend of Korra, the more it becomes... quite complex. But no matter, the good is finally here! This chapter contains mature subject matter ( horrific, gory scenes and some adult words. Yeah, adult words, not curse words, people. But juuuust to be safe... Beni:"Beware! Beware of the curse!" [ words ] - Mr. Daniels:"Stupid, superstitious bastard" ), reader discretion blah blah blah. I do not own the songs Save Yourself by Overkill and Love Me Forever by Motörhead ( R.I.P. Lemmy :( ). And about the Legend of Korra? I.S.D.N.O. ( I Still Do Not Own! ). Chapter:"Gimme a read and review, thank you!".**

 **Chapter VIII - Time To Shine**

"Anyway, I've been immersed in bending my entire life, but I never learned how to move like that!", Korra exclaimed excitedly, "well... not like never". She glanced at me, slightly embarrassed, making Bolin raise an eyebrow in puzzlement. And I could only answer him with a knowing smile. "But it truly is a whole new style here! Think you could show me a few tricks?". Korra crossed her arms.

"Ab-so-lutely!", Bolin replied with his over-the-top friendliness, "and what about you, Sau-uh-do?".

"It's Saudorn. I could try, though I'm not a bender", I answered his question with a laid-back demeanor.

"You're not a bender? But you're wearing an Air Nomad outfit!".

"Oh, it's a long story. Yet he'll find a way to surprise you. Right, Saudorn?". Korra cut Bolin off and winked at me.

"Right you are, Miss". I gave her a slight bow.

"Then it's all settled!", Bolin shouted brightly.

Then Mako, out of nowhere, spoke, annoyed:"Right now? Come on, Bolin".

"Just ignore him", Bolin said softly, hand beside his mouth. "Yeah, I could show you guys the basics. I'm just not sure how my earthbending would translate to Korra's waterbending. But we'll figure it out", he spoke louder now.

"Won't be a problem", Korra said smugly, "I'm actually an earthbender". She crossed her arms again, grinning slyly.

"No, no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to assume. 'Cause I, you know, I was just figuring... with your Water Tribe getup... that you are... a Water Tribe gal", Bolin stammered, confused.

Korra grinned at me. I nodded.

"Nope, you're right. I'm a waterbender. And an earthbender", she stated mischievously.

"Mm... Mm-hmmm. I'm very confused right now". Bolin put his hand under his chin, more confused.

"You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot". Mako bowed his head.

Korra and I both said:"Both are true". And upon realizing that, we giggled uncontrollably.

Bolin's eyes widened in shock. "No... way". He turned to Mako, shielded his face from Korra and me with his hand while pointing at her and whispered:"The Avatar!".

Three minutes later, all of us entered the gym. Bolin and Korra stood, their backs facing a bunch of earth discs, looking at a net a bit further ahead; I was a little away from the Avatar herself, to her right; and Mako... well, he was leaning against a wooden stair a couple of steps behind Bolin, half-heartedly watching his younger brother teaching Korra how to earthbend the discs pro-bending-styled.

"All right. Let's see whatcha got!", Bolin, now in a white undershirt and black pants with knee-breaches, spoke to Korra.

The girl turned to the net, raising her arms, picking up two of the earth discs then earthbending them towards their supposed destination, hitting the inside of the net solidly.

"That was great! Good power! But in a real match, you'd be a sitting turtle-duck", Bolin praised, then criticized his "student" lightheartedly.

The Avatar looked slightly disappointed.

"Not so uptight and flatfooted", Bolin instructed, taking on a fighting stance, punching the air, "stay light on your toes, right up until the moment when you need to dig in and strike. Then...".

Quickly, Bolin raised two earth discs and immediately sent them flying towards the net, displaying a different kind of speed than Korra's. "Pop, pop!", he spoke aloud. The young Avatar stared at the net with her mouth open, while he turned to her and smiled broadly, gesturing at the net, inviting her to take another shot.

"Okay, let me try it again", Korra spoke, slightly shocked.

She jumped lightly from side to side, looking determined. Next, mimicking Bolin's fast strike, she sent two other discs into the net, the speed looked improved. _Impressive. The girl surely is a fast learner._

"Wow! Nice adjustment!", Bolin exclaimed, impressed, "you're a natural at this".

"Not bad", Mako commented, aloof.

Before Korra could speak, I stepped in.

"Yeah, that was quite impressive, Korra", I praised her. "Now it's my turn, Bolin. But would you be a pal and send two discs at me not-too-fast? I'm a nonbender so I can't even raise a disc". I made a request towards Bolin.

"You're sure you wanna do this?", Bolin asked me, a bit concerned.

"He's right, Saudorn, I mean... Look, I know you're fast, but this is, like, a whole new level!", Korra said, concerned at well.

I just raised my eyebrow at both of them. _Quote Exodus:"I'm faster than you'll ever live to be", my friends._

"Very well, then", Bolin conceded 'defeat', "I hope you know what you're doing".

After that, the earthbender sent two earth discs, one after another, towards me. Staying calm, I waited 'til the two objects were near me; then, with great speed, I kicked them... _One, two..._ like I kicked two British footballs, into the net, feeling my left foot hurt a little. Those two discs were, after all, made of solid earth. I turned to look at both Korra and Bolin, who were staring at the net, shocked; they then stared at me, still shocked. I even got Mako's attention. He tried to hide his surprised look, but failed miserably. After a while, I broke the silence.

"Sooo... not bad, eh?", I spoke, subtly mocking Mako while directing my sentence at the other two people.

"Amazing... How did you do that?". Korra breathed?

"Yeah, and where did you learn that?", Bolin asked, perplexed.

"Secrets are not meant to be shared". I winked, using a proverb from my reality ( yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's OUR reality, readers. Just stop complaining already ) as my answer.

"Aww...". Both Korra and Bolin uttered their disappointment in unison.

"You know what, it's getting late", Mako spoke, sauntering off with his hands in his pants' pockets, "I think I'm gonna turn in. You kids have fun". _Hey, pal, I'm 25, not a kid._ He stopped and glanced back. "Nice to meet you, Avatar Korra, and guy whose name I don't even remember".

"Well, it's Saudorn since you still don't remember! Don't you forget it, because we'll meet again, pal!", I called after him, aiming to irritate him a bit more. _Sweet dreams, Grumpy Boy._

"Also, been a real pleasure as well!", Korra called after him too, making me laugh out loud and high-five her.

"See ya upstairs, bro", Mako directed his brother, still sauntering off.

Surprised, Korra asked Bolin:"Upstairs? You guys live here?".

"Yup. In the attic. It's nothing fancy, but we have some great views!". Bolin was back to his overfriendly self.

"So, back to bending. Why don't you throw that combo one more time?".

Korra quickly hopped up and down a little before successfully directing two discs away, hitting the net's inside, causing her to smile broadly.

After some more time, Korra finished her pro-earthbending practice and I finished showing off with my 'footballing' ( or footdiscing? ) skills. We said goodnight to Bolin and left the arena together, walking side by side. To tell you the truth, at the end of it all, both of my feet were kind of aching a lot; yet I braced the ache still, not wanting to let Korra know. When we reached a part of the railings preventing people from falling down to the water below, Korra turned to me and said:

"Thanks for keeping the promise of watching the pro-bending match with me and let me meet the Fire Ferret brothers tonight. I really appreciate it".

"Anything for you, Avatar Korra, anything for you". I smiled.

Then, I received a pretty strong punch to the arm. "Ow, what was that for?".

"Don't you address me like that ever again, okay? Just call me Korra", Korra corrected me.

"All right, all right. Korra it is". I grinned, making Korra grin back.

Next, it was just silence as we looked at each other in the eyes. Subconsciously, we inched towards each other 'til our faces were really close to one another. Our lips were a kiss away. Just a kiss away. Do it, Saudorn; kiss her! It's time! I just stared at Korra's delicious lips. Come on, do it! Do it now! She's here! Do it now! Kiss her! I closed my eyes. _Here-we-go!_ ( Joker:"Why so serious?" ).

"It's really getting late, Korra. I-I think you should go. If Tenzin discovers you're not on the island anymore, you'll have an earful 'til tomorrow morning". I chuckled lamely.

( Ben Richards:"You cold-hearted bastard! I'll tell what I think about it. I live to see you eat that contract! But I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your GODDAMN SPINE!" )

Korra looked disappointed, but she nodded amicably. With a timid 'goodnight', she jumped into the water and swam away towards Air Temple Island. And I just stood there, sighing heavily. _You idiot, the moment has passed. There won't be any chance to kiss her anymore, much less to express your admiring love to her. Wonderful job there, Lover Boy._ Slightly shaking my head, I turned around and started walking, limping a little bit, towards the tram stop in front of the arena, when all of a sudden, I heard water splashing behind me. Before I could act, I was spun around by- _Korra?_ I was spun around by Korra and was embraced warmly. Shocked, I couldn't do anything but stand there like a dumb motherfucker and feel the nice hug from the Avatar ( actually, I felt her boobs pressed again my chest for the first time ever, even though I had been given a tight hug before. Probably because of the lack of oxygen ). About three minutes later, Korra let go of me, and shocked me even more, planting a kiss on my right cheek, whispering:

"See you tomorrow night, here, hot stuff".

And with that, she was gone again, in a blink of an eye. I touched the spot on my cheek where she'd just kissed. _Did she really call me 'hot stuff'?_

The next day, I woke up later than usual, partly because of the dream I'd had the night before and the struggling for sleep after that. The dream, or nightmare, was the same; well, not exactly, for I didn't see Azara in the beginning, but Korra. We were practicing wrestling moves in that small courtyard on Air Temple Island, then we talked about about Korra's time at the compound back at the Southern Water Tribe. The conversation was progressing nicely when suddenly the sky went dark, everything became sinister and evil. I was shocked, looking about, not believing in my eyes; and when I turned to Korra, it was not her I saw before my eyes anymore, it was my archenemy! I immediately used my powers, incomplete powers, but powers nonetheless, against him but it was all in vain. Zulathulhu just wasn't affected. Exactly like what'd happened the first time John Landers confronted him. Next, he grabbed me by the throat, lifting me up in the air, laughing menacingly as he did so. After that, he slammed me down on the ground and stomped my stomach, not too hard because he didn't want me to die yet, with his big, right foot, pinning me solidly. Soon after, out of nowhere, his hellspawns led everyone on the island forwards, including Tenzin's family, awaiting my archnemesis's order. Barking in the Hateful Tongue, Zulathulhu directed his creations... to eat everyone alive in front of me! Once again, screams of despair and cry of horror filled my ears, and blood and gore and ripped-apart bodies blinded my vision. Poor Ikki and Jinora... Then, the spawns led Korra and the Fire Ferret brothers before me. Now I struggled and begged and shouted and cursed at Zulathulhu, not wanting to see them die a horrible death. However, he just smiled viciously and let his 'children' hack and tear the trio limb from limb, feeding on them voraciously. One of them even taunted me, throwing Korra's severed head, one eye already pulled out from the socket, blood gushing profusely, at me. And that moment was when I felt a great portion of my soul die. Coldly and distantly, I gazed forwards at the new view before me, having been forced back up on my feet: A Republic City in flames. Finally, my ultimate creation whispered in my ear:

"Look at your precious fantasy world now, Father; it is dying. Just like the one you hailed from. You thought you could hide from me, yet here I am annihilating the realm you, or your friend Esillith, considered 'safe'. It is your fault, Father; for if you chose to accept your designed fate, I would have not let this world suffer. In fact, I would grant it a painless, peaceful extinction. But you had to force these inhabitants to die out, didn't you? Like the dinosaurs, only a hundred times more tormentedly agonzingly. Do you remember that part in that song by Exodus? What was it...? Ah, 'you are me, I am Abomination!'. Yes, you are me, Father. You are just like me: Cruel and selfish!".

And with a really loud "No!", I was jolted wide awake by the dream, sweating profusely. It was 3:00 a.m. in the morning, and I couldn't go back to sleep after that nightmare, even when I tried to. So, I just spent about an hour and a half brooding in the dark, filling my mind with doubt and self-hate. Luckily for me, though, I eventually fell asleep out of tiredness. Either that or someone was watching over me, deciding that I needed some rest, real rest this time. Nevertheless, when I opened my eyes again, it was already noon. And I seriously missed half of the morning! Groggily, I sat up on the bed, covering my face with my hands for a minute, groaning aloud, trying to focus. Goodness, the dream last night... It was so real... So real that- _Korra... No, Korra!_ I panicked, jumping off the bed, hastily changing my clothes, grabbing the key, then opening the door and... And I collided with Tanna, knocking her and a tray of meal down on the floor. Mortified, I stooped down to check on her.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't see you!", I apologized to Tanna, helping her stand on her feet.

"Spirits, what was wrong with you? Your mother died this morning or something?", she scolded me.

"I, uh, I-I...", I stammered for the first time since I'd arrived in the World of Benders.

"Oh, forget it, the damage is done. Razu's gonna be pissed, yet I have no choice but to ask him to make you another meal. I don't know where you intended to go but you're not going anywhere 'til you make yourself look decent and finish your late breakfast. Understand?".

Not waiting for me to reply, Tanna swiftly collected the tray and other stuff on the floor and walked away. Sighing heavily, I got back inside my room, brushing my teeth and washing my face, and waited for my receptionist friend to 'deliver' my late breakfast. Almost twenty minutes later, there were several knocks on my room's door following some muffled talking. I came to open the door and Tanna was standing there next to a cleaning maid who was, of course, cleaning the mess I'd made earlier. Upon hearing the door open, the maid looked up at me, and blushed, and quickly got back to her task at hand.

"Thanks, Raasya, for doing this". Tanna looked down at the maid, smiling, and spoke. "I owe you one".

"You're welcome", the maid timidly responded.

With that, Tanna entered my room and put the tray of meal, which I didn't know whether it was a new or the same one, on the nightstand, gesturing towards the bed, saying:

"Breakfast served. Time to dig in, big boy".

I complied, ignoring her obvious remark about my member, and sat at the edge of the bed and proceeded to eat the meal in silence. The young receptionist, then, sat next to me, also in silence. When I was half-way through the meal, she asked me:

"So where did you intend to go, getting all hurried and such?". She stopped me from replying when I was going to speak. "Lemme guess, you wanted to meet the Avatar again, didn't you?".

Based on the woman's tone, I say she sounded a bit jealous.

"Tanna, didn't we agree that we are going to be just friends?". I frowned. "Furthermore, you - are a big fan of the Avatar, remember?".

"I know, and of course, I remember; I just...". She sighed. "Well, apparently I still have feelings for you".

"Feelings of riding me or sucking me off or something else", I joked.

"That's not funny, Saudorn. I know we had sex, but that doesn't mean our relationshio had everything to do with sex. We could-we could have done something more romantic than having dinner, you know?". Tanna sniffed.

I was surprised, to say the least, that Tanna left love towards me. I didn't know exactly how it'd evolved from sex to love ( probably it was that night we'd had dinner with each other, talking about my first encounter with Korra ), but this was pretty surprisingly amazing! However, I loved Korra more than Tanna, and that was why I'd suggested that I and the receptionist should just be friends. Touched by Tanna's affection for me, I put my right hand on her left shoulder and said:

"I had no idea you love me, Tanna, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, and never will I, you can trust me on that. Notwithstanding, I'm interested in Korra now; so... Just... just don't be sad, okay?".

"So you truly love Korra- I mean, the Avatar, huh?".

"Yes, I do. But I still intend to fulfill my promise to you: Let you meet the Avatar. Then, maybe... we can have a threesome. Because she accepted your wish". I winked at her.

Right away, Tanna punched me in my right shoulder.

"Hey, hey, I was only joking! Relax!". I feigned panic.

"You let your dick do the talking, and you blamed me for letting my pussy do the pleasuring? You sexist bastard!", Tanna jokingly punched me in my shoulder again, repeatedly this time.

Now that the tension finally had passed, I and my receptionist friend talked about last night's pro-bending event, discussing and analyzing it enthusiastically. After a while, I told Tanna that I needed to get going because I had a 'meeting' with the Avatar today. She nodded, telling me not to waste time and that she would lock the door and carry the tray back to Razu - the hotel's cook. I went to the bathroom to wash my mouth, and face again, then exited it and put the money pouch in my Air Acolyte pants' pocket, heading towards the door. Yet before I could leave the room, Tanna came up to me, spun me around and unintentionally planted a kiss on my cheek, right at the same place Korra'd done merely the night before. I was stunned, both because Tanna kissed my cheek and because she kissed me right at that place! Upon seeing my dumbfounded face, Tanna giggled, then gently slapped me on the other cheek, pulling me back to reality.

I said goodbye to her and left the room, took the elevator down to the ground floor and exited the hotel. Next, I caught a tram to the dock and rode the ferry to Air Temple Island, getting past the White Lotus guards without being halted this time, and looking for Korra. After asking around, I found out that she was at the spinning gates again. Apparently, she had given my advice some thoughts then decided to continue her airbending training. _Attagirl._ Relaxingly, I went to the courtyard that contained those spinning panels. _Hope she's not going to throw her tantrum like yesterday._ I arrived just as Korra was preparing to enter the gates.

"Hello everyone! How are all of ya?", I greeted them.

Upon hearing my voice, Korra sharply turned around and came rushing towards me to greet me.

"Hey, Saudorn. Took you long enough, huh?". Korra smiled, punching me jokingly in my left arm. _Yeah, I am the ladies' punching bag now._

"Sorry, there was some misunderstanding at the reception counter in the hotel this morning. Today is the first day some rookie receptionist's at work". I gave her a little white lie.

"You stay in a hotel? And by hotel, you mean the Republic City Four Elements Hotel?". Korra gasped excitedly.

"The one and only". I winked at her.

"That is so cool! I want to go there for a visit! Do you think I can do that?".

Before I could reply, Tenzin spoke with authority:"Korra, you are neglecting your airbending training. You need to continue the practice, now".

"It's okay, Korra, go on and keep up with the training", I spoke lightly to the Avatar.

Korra nodded, then she returned to the spot where she'd been preparing herself for the panels. Following her, I came to Tenzin and slightly bowed. "Councilman Tenzin". He politely bowed back and turned his attention to Korra. I looked towards Tenzin's kids, and they looked back at me. The youngest was still looked pretty dumb as ever, Ikki gave me a sly grin, and Jinora just blushed and looked away three seconds later. Cute. After that, a loud, audible exhalation pulled my attention towards the Avatar. She was gazing at the spinning gates. I could sense her determination. _You can do it, Korra._ Suddenly, Korra looked back, searching for me and smiling at me when she spotted me. I gave her a thumb-up and off she went to the spinning panels. She managed to run inside the circle of gates, but was at once hit by a panel and knocked around, once again.

"Patience, Korra", Tenzin stated aloud, trying to instruct the young Avatar.

 _Nice instruction there, pal. And it helps, it helps a lottt. With not enough details and all._

The more Korra tried to force her way through, the more she was thrown against more gates. And just like last time, she was knocked on her knees; losing her temper, she snapped and burst into a violent firebending, knocking the fixed wooden panels away everywhere.

"Oh, not again". Tenzin facepalmed.

Despite all the fire-and-destruction stuff, I found Korra look super hot ( Markiplier:"Super - hot! Super - hot! Super - hot! Super - HAWT!" ), breathing heavily, flustered with frustration. Then, upon exiting the remains of the spinning gates, Korra realized what she'd just done. Sighing in self-disappointment, she sorrowfully walked away. I intended to follow her, but Tenzin placed his firm hand on my right shoulder.

"We need to talk", he said.

I hesitated, wanting to go after Korra and work my magic on her ( my wrestling magic, not the, uh, flesh-against-flesh kind ). However, if Tenzin needed to talk with me, it could either be serious or important. So I decided to come along with Tenzin and the kids to... Tenzin's family's dining room. It was a pretty spacious room with a traditional Chinese-like entrance, a traditional window, two average scrolls hanging on one wall, a big, very big, table with a grilling area in the middle, and a black pot on the right side of the bars. There were several pillows, for seating, around the table as well. Tenzin then proceeded to sit down on the right side of the rectangular table. Ikki and Jinora sat opposite him, while the youngest, whose name I'd learned when Tenzin introduced me to the kids 'officially' on the way to this dining room, was Meelo, sat at the head of the table, to the left. I sat at the end of the table, to the right, a bit further away from Jinora to prevent her from getting embarrassed. When everybody settled down, Tenzin spoke to me:

"While I appreciate the fact that you managed to calm Korra down yesterday, I can't help but be cautious with you. What is your business with her?".

"Business with Korra, sir?". I was surprised Tenzing asked me such a question.

"She told me that you met her during her... Uhm, during her little stint with the Triad, but I doubt it. You seem like you are familiar to her, and rightly so. So, I want to know what exactly your business with her is". Tenzin explained, sharp eyes appeared to pierce through me.

 _Impressive. He almost figured me out. Almost._ With a polite smile, I replied:

"My business with her, as you nicely put it, Councilman Tenzin, is friendship, plain and simple. As for me being familiar to her, let's just say that whence I come from, there are pretty many women who have the same personality like her; well, not exactly the same, but close enough. That's why I'm familiar to her".

Tenzin seemed to buy my explanation, stroking his beard lightly, thinking to himself. Then, he asked me another question:

"And where do you hail from?".

"I can't say", immediately, I coldly answered, not wanting to think about Earth anymore.

To say the least, Tenzin was astonished by my instant display of coldness. Even the kids appeared to be afraid. Before Tenzin could form a response, a beautiful, pregnant woman in an Air Nomad outfit entered the room with a tray of food, probably Tenzin's wife. Upon seeing me, she smiled warmly, causing the icy look on my face to melt a little.

"Hello, you must be Korra's new friend, my name is Pema, nice to meet you", the woman named Pema greeted me.

"I'm Saudorn Zalear, but just call me Saudorn. Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Pema". I stood up and politely gave her a slight bow, making her blush a bit.

Putting the traydown onto the table, Pema then looked around and wondered aloud:

"Wait, where's Korra?".

Reminded of the Avatar, Tenzin spoke to Pema:"Honestly, Pema, I am at my wit's end with that girl. I-I don't know how to get through to her".

"Dear, the best thing you can do right now is to give Korra some space", Pema gently told her husband, "and let him do all the talking with her", she then added, looking at me and beaming.

 _She-she knows? Does that mean Ikki..._ I turned my attention to Tenzin's second daughter and glared at her. Fortunately for her, her father's voice managed to direct my gaze to him.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you about him calming Korra down yesterday". Tenzin pointed at me. "Next, you'll tell me they are perfect for each other".

Pema smiled even more brightly at that, evoking a groan from the Councilman. _Okay, I like this lady already. But even so, I like Korra more; and speaking of her..._ I stood up slowly, causing Ikki and Jinora to gasp slightly at my size. Didn't they already see me standing? Huh. I looked at Tenzin and Pema and bowed politely and said:

"Pardon me for wanting to leave so soon. I don't think I am perfect for Korra... yet. But as you clearly still remember, I managed to cool her fire the preceding day; and it seems to me my new task is to shoo her sadness away. It's been a pleasure knowing everyone, now I have to go. See you again sometime".

On my way out of the room, I nodded towards the kids, walking relaxingly 'til I was outside. After that, I closed my eyes and searched for Korra, using my powers. Ever since the first time I'd met her, connecting my mind to hers without her noticing it, I became... familiar to her presence ( just like you, readers, I'd been familiar to Korra for a long time before all this, through the show ). Like a dog keeping the scents of its human family in its consciousness, only I stored the sensation in my mind, using my powers, not a nose. After a while, I was able to locate the young Avatar, sitting alone on her bed, in her room, holding... my clothes? _What the hell is she doing with my clothes? Oh, no; oh, no, you don't! I plan to wear those today! I'm not going to let myself smell like... vagina juices!_ Hastily, I ran towards her room, almost knocking some of the female Air Acolytes in the process, quickly apologizing to them. When I arrived in front of Korra's room, I pulled the sliding door open, startling her and seeing her... only smelling my clothes. _Oookay, this is gonna be awkward._ Upon seeing me, Korra let out a small gasp, dropped the clothes on her lap, struggling to find a proper explanation.

"Oh, he-hey, I-it... it's not what it looks like! I was... I was just having a closer look at your clothes. I-I mean I saw something on it and...". She fell silent, blushing a deep, deep shade of red.

 _Having a closer look at my clothes with your nose? Last time I checked, you're the Avatar, not Aardvarkorra the Blue Aardvark!_ Not knowing what to do, I approached the bed, pretty casually grabbing the clothes and turning around, walking towards the doo- _Shit, what am I doing? Did you honestly think I could use the Women's Bathroom to change now, Brain? But then again, I can't just change in front of Korra! Or maybe I should ask her to help me use the Men's Bathroom? Oh, choices, choices, choices; as fine as you can git!_ Sighing heavily, I turned around and told Korra:

"Alright, I'll pretend what you did didn't happen, only if you'll pretend what I'm about to do didn't happen either".

"And what... is that?", the Avatar asked me anxiously.

"I'm gonna change my clothes right here, right now, and you need to look away". I dropped the bombshell.

Korra's mouth opened straightaway, her jaw seemed to want to hit the floor. "What? I-".

"It's a quick change. As long as you don't look at me, you'll be fine, alright?". I cut her off.

"Alright", Korra replied shortly, seeing the determination in my eyes. Then, she turned away.

Taking that as my cue to act, I instantly got naked, turning my back to her just to be sure, and began to put my previous clothes on; when all of a sudden, my back hurt, or more correctly, the scar acted up again, after all this time. I dropped on the floor on all fours and grunted aloud in pain. Why, ugh... Why now? It has stayed calm ever since Esillith got me away from Zulathulhu's Flesh Fortress. _How? How did-_

"Saudorn! Are you okay- Spirits, what's happened to you?". I heard Korra's voice on my right, worried.

 _No, she saw the scar..._ Mustering as much strength as I could, I stood up, unsteady, causing Korra to lean against me to support my weight. Weakly, I spoke to her:

"The- bed. To the... bed".

The Avatar wasted no time, leading me towards the bed and let me lie on it. She, then, sat next to me, at its edge, and looked at me concernedly. Before she could speak again, I signaled for her to stay silent.

"I'll be okay, I just... I just need some time", I croaked.

And for about the next forty-five minutes, we both stayed silent as I closed my eyes and concentrated on ignoring the pain. Subsequently, the pain passed, my breathing returned to normal again; I opened my eyes and saw Korra holding my right hand, and... staring at my naked chest.

"Like what you see?". I chuckled.

"Huh? What? Oh". The young Avatar shyly looked away. Then, she looked back at me, in the eyes, and asked:"What happened to you so that you got that scar?".

Trying to sit up against the wall, I told her that it was a 'gift' from my old adversary, some kind of acid, when I was back in my home nation; but it was not 100% truth. It was a 'gift', yes; from an old adversary, yes. But it was not acid and the one who'd given it to me was one of Zulathulhu Four Lord-Patriarchs, named Agrigula, a part-man, part-jellyfish and part swordfish abomination - Commander of one of my archenemy's Four Legions, the Legion of War. Back when I'd been captured by Zulathulhu's hellspawns, I was tortured by Agrigula for many times. At the end of my archnemesis's attack on Earth, Agrigula decided to give me one of his favorite torture treatment: The Eldritch Kiss. He put one of his big tendrils on my back, letting the thing trail from my right shoulder to my left hip, burning my skin with his vicious venom. Several hours later, the place where the skin was contacted by the venom became a big scar, which hurt me randomly like the venom was sentient and intelligent or something. After I finished my false tale ( yeah, human opponent and whatnot ), Korra wanted to know the name of my 'old enemy', but I told her that he was away, far away now ( which was true, I believed ). Korra then hugged me warmly, clearly moved by my bogus story, ignoring the fact that I was still half naked. Even though it felt really nice, having her holding me like that, yet I had to go to the arena and waited for Korra to sneak out again. So, I told her that and she reluctantly let go of me, stealing a look at my broad chest to satisfy her eyes one last time before I put my shirt on. Next, I told the Avatar to return the borrowed clothes to the male Air Acolyte and kissed her cheek goodbye, exiting the room, saying goodbye to Tenzin and his family in the dining room, leaving the island, catching the ferry and tram to the arena, and waited for Korra.

At 8:58 p.m. , Korra and I entered the Fire Ferrets' locker room and noticed something pretty wrong: Hasook was not there, Bolin looked sad and Mako looked worried. Korra asked them:

"We didn't miss your match, did we? You guys look like you lost already".

"Where's Hasook?", I asked them simply, surely knew that he'd abandoned ship. _The cumstained coward._

Bolin sighed. "We might as well have", he said.

"Hasook's a no-good no-show!", Mako added angrily.

Before I and Korra could say anything, someone looking like a referee opened the door and spoke:"You got two minutes to come out ready to play, or you're disqualified". He then left just as quickly as he'd opened the door.

"Well, there goes our shot at the tournament... and the winnings", Mako complained.

Korra pointed towards the other guys in the room. "Can't you ask one of them to fill in?".

"Nah, the rules say you can only compete on one team", Bolin explained.

"Well, then...". Korra looked at me, waiting for an idea. And I had one.

"You're a top-notch waterbender, maybe you can help them out". I smiled.

"But, she's the Avatar...". Bolin protested. "Isn't that cheating?". He turned to Mako.

Korra grinned at me, then she spoke to Bolin:"It isn't cheating if I only do waterbending".

"No way". Mako was against it. "I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there".

Upon hearing that, Korra was offended and replied sarcastically:"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence".

The door was opened again and the ref poked his head in. "Time's up. You in or out?".

Both Korra and I spoke aloud instantly:"We're in!". We, next, grinned at each other.

"We are?", Mako inquired incredulously.

"Yes!", excited, Bolin got up and shouted.

Mako pointed at Korra. "Hey, I didn't agree to this!", he objected.

I put my hand on Mako's arm, lowering it. "She's your only chance of getting in the tournament... and winning. I wouldn't count her out just yet, if I was you", I directed him, voice serious.

"You can thank me later". Korra winked at Mako and changed into the Fire Ferret uniform.

Mako looked dismayed. "You two are crazy".

"Show 'em your craziness and win, Korra". I encouraged the Avatar.

"Sure thing, hot stuff!", she replied and beamed at me, causing both Bolin and Mako to gawk at me.

When the new Fire Ferrets entered the platform which would bring them out to the playing field, I approached the railing and watched them closely. _Hope you know what you're doing, Saudorn. And hope Korra knows what she's doing too._

"Looks like the Fire Ferrets have ferretted out a last minute replacement waterbender. Let's see if she's another diamond in the rough like the brothers from the school of hard knocks!", the commentator spoke.

The referee said to each team:"Players! Are you ready?".

He then held up his hand and blew his whistle. A bell was rung, signaling the start of the match. Korra immediately conjured a powerful water blast with her foot which she used to knock the opposing waterbender over the side of the ring. The other teammates just stared wide-eyed at their 'unlucky' friend, while Korra was running around, waving her hands in the air to celebrate her 'victory', yelling:"Woohoo! Man overboard!". I facepalmed. _Did that girl even watch last night's match beside me? She was supposed to knock her opponent towards the playing field's rear and over the rim!_

The referee blew his whistle and pointed at Korra. "Fire Ferret waterbender, penalty! Move back one zone!", he stated aloud.

Korra appeared confused, addressing the referee, probably asking why. Mako told her something, maybe explaining the rules. _Should have done that on the way to the damn ring. Ugh._ The Avatar moved back one zone. The opposing waterbender who was knocked over the side rejoined his teammates.

"And we're back in action after that hiccup, but I'm not sure this replacement player knows what she's doing", the commentator commented.

 _Yeah, thanks for pointing out my mistake, pal. I feel great!_ The bell was rung again, and both teams began to attack each other. Korra pulled up some water and fired it away; however, she was at once hit in the stomach by an earth disc and knocked back. She came to a halt and swiftly jumped up to retaliate with a shot via her foot. Then, her foot was on the line as she landed back on the floor. The ref blew his whistle again and pointed at Korra.

"Foul! Over the line! Move back to zone three!", he stated.

Well, at least that was an acceptable rookie mistake. Hey, wait a minute, why am I okay with that? As the young Avatar moved towards her zone, Mako and Bolin stood together. When the bell rang again, it signaled the end of round one. Mako lowered his head in annoyance while Bolin twiddled his fingers in embarrassment. Next, the scoreboard's first tube light blue, indicating that the other team won round one.

"The Platypus Bears take round one!", the commentator announced.

When the bell was rung again, starting round two, the other team attacked straightaway. "The Bears know a green player when they see one, and they are focusing the brunt of their bending on this poor girl!".

 _Poor? Ha. Ha. Ha. Nice one, bud._ Korra was now truly getting assaulted by all three members of the Bears. She used her waterbending to deflect the water blast from the Bear waterbender before conjuring up a shield to block a fire and earthbending attack; she was slightly knocked back by the force of the combined attack. She quickly blocked another water blast with one of her own, but was kept on the defensive all the time. Korra, next, angrily raised two earth discs beneath her to protect herself against a triple water, fire and earthbending combo. _You gotta be kidding me, Korra. Who said something about only doing waterbending earlier, your evil twin?_

"Wait a minute! Did that waterbender just earthbend?". The commentator sounded surprised.

The crowd gasped in shock now, and the Bears gazed at Korra in wonder, yet a whistle was blown nonetheless.

"Foul! I... think", the ref declared haltingly.

 _You... think? You... think? What kind of fuckin' ref are you?_ Mako was shaking his head now.

"Did I see that right? Hold on, folks, we're just waiting for the ref's official call, but... I-I think this replacement player could be... no, there's no way!". The commentator was trying to put two and two together.

"You've gotta be kidding me! She's the Avatar, folks!". _Dun dun dun!_ "Playing in a pro-bending match! Can you believe that?". _Yeah, I can; and yeah, I do!_

"The Avatar will be permitted to continue so long as she solely bends water!". The ref raised his hand solemnly.

The bell then signaled to continue the match. The Bear earthbender stomped the ground and raised an earth disc and punched it away, his teammates also directed their attacks towards the Ferrets.

"This girl may be the Avatar, but she's no pro-bender and the Platypus Bears are intent on exploiting that weakness!", the commentator spoke.

Korra deflected the disc with a water whip, as well as the fire blast and water bullet; she nimbly back-flipped under the disc and the water attack, before crossing her arms in front of her face to protect herself from a fire blast.

"They're giving her their best, and her best ain't good enough to stop it!".

The Bears launched another wave of attacks, and Korra was hit in the side by a fire blast, knocked out of balance by an earth disc in the stomach, and thrown back by a water blast against the head. _Ooo, headshot._ The Avatar bounced past and fell over the rim, tumbling in the water. _Shit._

"Aaaaand she's in the drink".

I quickly linked my consciousness to Korra's, feeling her swimming under water towards the platform. As she emerged from the water, taking a breather, she looked up when she saw... Tenzin? _Oh... caught red-handed!_

"Oh, hey, Tenzin. I thought you didn't like coming to these matches". Korra chuckled nervously, climbing out of the water and standing before the Councilman.

"Once again, you have flagantly disobeyed my orders. You were to stay on the island! Let's go", Tenzin spoke angrily, then starting to walk away, but was halted by Korra's reply.

"No! I'm kind of in the middle of something. Furthermore, I won't leave Saudorn behind!", Korra said, stubborn, indirectly warming my heart with the response.

Tenzin slowly turned around and said:"Him again. So he put you up with this, didn't he? I knew I couldn't trust him".

"Leave him out of this, Tenzin, it's not his fault! Nor mine!".

"I have tried my very best to get through to you by being gentle and patient, but clearly the only thing you respond to is force! So I am ordering you to come back to the temple right now!".

"Why? So I can sit around and meditate about how bad I am at airbending? You know, I'm beginning to think there's a reason I haven't been able to learn it! Because, maybe, I don't even need it!", Korra countered defiantly.

"What? This is a ludicrous suggestion! The Avatar needs to learn airbending! It's not optional!". Tenzin pointed at the young Avatar.

"No! This is what I need to learn! Modern styles of fighting!". Korra gestured at the playing field behind her.

"Being the Avatar isn't all about fighting, Korra. When will you learn that?".

"I have a match to go finish". She promptly turned around, and walked away from Tenzin to the nearby elevator.

"The Bears win round two! Round three!", the announcer announced.

Korra stood on the platform, and it started ascending. When she was on the same level as the balcony where I was standing, she pointed downwards and mouthed Tenzin's name. I pretended to be shocked and mouth-asked her if she was okay. She nodded, and I nodded back, giving her a thumb-up, causing her to smile warmly. When she was with Mako and Bolin again, all six players got into positions. The moment the bell rang, the Bears swiftly started their offense.

"The Bears come out of the gate and quickly go after the Ferret brothers!", the commentator stated.

The waterbender of the opposing team raised water from the grate in front of him and bent it away; he advanced and repeated the attack. Bolin was defending himself against the first water attack, then retaliated by throwing an earth disc, but was forced to raise another in front of him to avoid the second blast. Meanwhile, the opposing firebender attacked Mako, who attempted a payback as unsuccessfully as his brother.

"They corralled in the corner, wedged in the edge of zone one, unable to come to the Avatar's rescue!".

Their opponents now drove them into the corner of zone one, against the railing, while Korra constantly put on the defensive by fire and earth attacks. All of a sudden, I felt a presence returned from exiting the arena; it was Tenzin! He had decided to stay back and watch Korra! And talk about Korra, she was dodging an earth disc, but was frontally hit by a water blast, putting her into the second zone, where she caught another earth disc and threw it away. A buzzer sounded and the Avatar had to move back to zone three.

"Looks like the Avatar's pro-bending debut is going to be cut short! She's been pushed back to zone three, and the water is calling her name!".

 _Shit, this is not good, I have to act now! But what do I do? Help her win by taking control of the Bears for a while? That's cheating! There has to be some other way. Think, Saudorn, think!_ Korra feet were near the edge, she nearly fell over the rim. She dodged an earth disc and regained her balance. _Goddamn it, I have to do something now! I have to help her! I have to-_

 _Who are you? Why are you in my mind?_

 _Wh-What? Who?_

 _Hey, I asked you first!_

 _Holy fuckin' shit, Korra can hear my thoughts! How? Did I just link my consciousness with hers accidentally? And that somehow made the connection stronger? Wow... But, anyway, no time for wonderment! Gotta help her now!_

 _You're not making any sens-_

 _Listen to me, Korra, and listen carefully: It doesn't matter who I am, okay? You just need to know that I'm a friend, that's all. Now, I want you to relax and think of your airbending training, think of the spinning gates, and apply that situation to this one. Be patient, Korra, let go of your anger, let go of the negative thoughts that have been plagued your mind. Flush them out! Be at peace with yourself. Trust me, you can do it!_

 _But..._

 _Just do it! Believe in me, believe in yourself. Only you can save yourself._

Korra then focused and became determinded.

"It's only a matter of time before...", the commentator was saying.

Korra began to take on an airbending stance and started dodging the three opposing players' attacks, as light as a leaf. _Yes, attagirl!_

"... hold the phone! Stop the presses! She's still in the game, folks! And she's moving like an entirely different player! All of a sudden, the Bears only strike air!", the commentator finished his sentences.

What happened next was a blur as the song Save Yourself by Overkill played itself in my head.

Twisting and turning, the incessant burning of night!

Never quite learning the truth, wrong versus right!

Wings that are broken, words never spoken in flight!

The future's now open, then flashes to hide out of sight!

Don't you look so fucking sad, I'll beat you like you never had!

Can't hide behind the purity, they'll be no more security!

God's not here to serve you now, I'm here to give and show you how!

Darkness and light!

Darkness and light!

Naked disaster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Make it go faster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Deadly sensation, the cold liquidation unfolds!

Disintegration, in pure isolation they fold!

Wheels that are broken, once were outspoken and rolled!

The future's now open, explode to lose all control!

Black ring painted 'round your heart, this is where we're going to start!

Can't hide behind that riddled soul, I can see right through the holes!

God don't want to beat about, let's clean it up and sort it out!

Darkness and light!

Darkness and light!

Naked disaster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Make it go faster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Twisting and turning, the incessant burning!

Twisting and turning, burn, burn, burn, burn!

Don't you look so fucking sad, I'll beat you like you never had!

Can't hide behind the purity, they'll be no more security!

God's not here to serve you now, I'm here to give and show you how!

Darkness and light!

Darkness and light!

Naked disaster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Make it go faster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Make it go faster!

Only you can save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

Save yourself!

When I opened my eyes again, the Bear waterbender was hit by all three shots from Mako, Bolin and Korra and was knocked back several zones, into the water! _One down!_ The earthbender took a hit from Bolin's earth disc, stumbling back; several water and fire shots pushed him backwards, all the way into the water. _That's two!_ The last member of the Bears was also hit by two water blasts, tumbling over the edge, and into the water he fell! A bell was rung many times.

"Knockout!", the commentator declared.

I heard Tenzin shout "Woohoo!" and immediately looked at him, seeing him getting excited, though only for a short time.

"The Fire Ferrets come from waaay behind and steal the win! What an upset, folks! The rookies, Avatar in tow, have nabbed a place in the championship tournament! I cannot believe this!".

The scoreboard now listed the Fire Ferrets in red as winners. Korra looked around joyfully, then waved at me in merriment. I waved back and put up two thumbs-up this time, earning a broad smile from the Avatar. Bolin was posing and feigning putting his hand behind his ears to listen to the applause. The young Avatar approached him and they high-fived each other. Next, they were joined by Mako, who was smiling now and celebrated together with him.

After all the celebration and stuff, I and Korra said goodnight to the Ferret brothers and left the arena together ( with Korra back in her Water Tribe clothes, of course ). We stood near the railing and discussed about the match enthusiastically; and before long, we discovered that we were holding each other's hand. Though embarrassed ( a bit ), we still held our hand together and looked at one another in the eyes. This time, we did kiss ( Harry Tasker:"In ninety minutes, the holy fire, will light up the skies!" ). And, Goodness, it felt so good... Her lips mashing against mine, her hands holding the back of my head as my arms wrapped around her waist. Even when she clearly had not kissed before, I enjoyed every second with her like this. It... it reminded me of the song Love Me Forever by Motörhead. "I love you, Korra, I love you so much...", I whispered to Korra as we broke the kiss. "I... I love you too, Saudorn". She breathed. Then, grabbing the collar of my shirt, she pulled me back to her lips again, sighing and moaning softly and happily. _Yeah, definitely Love Me Forever._

Love me forever, or not at all.

End of our tether, backs to the wall.

Give me your hand, don't you ever ask why.

Promise me nothing, live 'til we die.

Everything changes, it all stays the same.

Everyone's guilty, no one to blame.

Every way out - brings you back to the start.

Everyone dies to break somebody's heart.

We are the system, we are the law.

We are corruption, worms in the core.

One of another, laugh 'til you cry.

Faith unto death or a knife in your eye.

Everything changes, it all stays the same.

Everyone's guilty, no one to blame.

Every way out - brings you back to the start.

Everyone dies to break somebody's heart.

Oh my love's heart,

come back to me.

Love me or leave me, tell me no lies.

Ask me no questions, send me no spies.

You know love's a thief, steal your heart in the night.

Slip through your fingers, you best hold on tight.

Everything changes, it all stays the same.

Everyone's guilty, no one to blame.

Every way out - brings you back to the start.

Everyone dies to break somebody's heart.

Oh my love's heart,

come back to me...

 **Note #2: Fixing grammatical errors.**


	10. Chapter 9 (a)

**Note: Sorry, everyone for not posting for a looooong time. Last week was a really busy one, so I didn't even have time to continue. Nevertheless, here's the chapter you all were waiting for! This chapter contains nudity, sexuality, super coarse language, and violent scenes later, readers, please, "hold on to your butts". I do not own the songs Aggression by Sadus, Ride On by Grave Digger and A Lesson in Violence by Exodus and never own the Legend of Korra. Please give this a read and review, my gratitude!**

 **Chapter IX ( a ) - First Challenge**

Korra hungrily, yet sloppily kissed me while straddling my hips, both of us naked, on the bed, in the room, in the dark. Even though I had told her to go back to Air Temple Island and work it out with Tenzin, and she refused, wanting to spend the night with me in the hotel instead. I didn't approve it but her lips convinced me. Damn, she was just so intoxicating! ( in an innocent, inexperienced way, of course ). As soon as we reached my room all the way from the arena, we kissed each other again, hurriedly stripping out of our own clothes. When I was lying on the bed with Korra on top of me, there were no clothes left on our bodies. We kissed and kissed and kissed and let our hands roam all over one another. Then, I surprised the young Avatar by rolling around in one spot, pulling her down lying on the bed with me on top, presuming control. After targeting her lips again, I trailed down to her neck, my lips contacting the beautiful skin, my nose inhaling her tantalizing scent. Next, I aimed at her round breasts, left, then right, devouring them. Quickly, I switched to teasing her nubs with my teeth, evoking loud moans from her mouth. If your nips are that sensitive, sweetheart, wait 'til my snake of a tongue exploring your velvet cave. Your virgin cave, no doubt. After bombarding her with preliminary pleasurable sensation by attacking her breasts and nipples, I moved on to her strong stomach, hands inspecting her six-pack admiringly.

"Like what you feel?". Korra teased me in the dark.

"Oh, yes, baby, your abs are wonderful!", I whispered huskily to her.

"You'll have another chance to feel and see them more clearly. But now, I want you to continue!", Korra spoke excitedly.

"Sure thing, love", I replied, spotting a sly grin in the blackness.

And so I traveled down to her vagina, kissing her mound first, lapping slightly at her clitoris, causing her to gasp and breathe discontinuously. After that, I moved down to her cave and... And a sound resembling a phone ring woke me up. It... it was all just a dream? Foggily, I looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was just 6:15 a.m. Why is the morning so evil? I groaned aloud in irritation and picked up the phone.

"Whoever this is, it'd better be important", I scolded.

"It's a call from the Avatar, so I guess it is", Tanna spoke dryly.

"Tanna?", I uttered.

But there was only the phone dial sound, then there was a recorded female voice telling me that a call from Air Temple Island was being transferred to my phone. After that, Korra's voice sounded pretty loud in my ear.

"Hello Saudorn! Good morning!". Jeez-fuckin'-aloo.

"Morning to you too, Korra. You have something important to tell me?", I spoke, pretty annoyed.

"The brothers want me to train early in the morning! Can you believe that? I mean, the morning is evil", she responded.

Yeah, that's what I said. "The brothers? You mean Bolin and Mako?", I inquired.

"Duh. Who else? Tenzin and Bumi?".

I think I now know why I love this girl: Sarcasm. Anyway, the name 'Bumi' sounds familiar. Where did I hear that before?

"Uh, who's Bumi?", I wondered aloud.

"Oh, sorry, you don't know much about Tenzin, apparently", the Avatar said somewhat apologetically, "he's Tenzin's brother. But I thought you would put two and two together like you did when we first met". Her voice became teasing now.

Tenzin's brother, huh? No wonder. I used to watch the Legend of Korra after all.

"I just woke up, Korra. Even geniuses can't be as sharp as usual when they wake up from sleep ( especially one that contains a dream in which you performed foreplay on the person you happen to talk on the phone like me right now. Oh, can it, Dick! I'm not in the fucking mood, okay? ). Anyhow, see ya at the arena?".

"At the gym, to be exact; but see ya!", Korra spoke loudly into the mouthpiece from the other side, again. "Hot stuff", she whispered softly, then the call was disconnected.

Well, well, well, gonna be a busy day, today. I was headed to the bathroom and did the usual hygiene stuff, including taking a shower. When I exited the bathroom, I came to my duffel bag and picked up the letter from Esillith which I'd received the night before and re-read it:

"Dear Saudorn,

Congrats on becoming the Avatar's love, and furthermore, her secondary guidance. With you by her side, this world will have a chance to fend off Zulathulhu and his forces. And about the nightmare you had two nights before, it was only a 'reminder' of what would happen to the World of Benders if you allowed fear to take control of you. Fight it. Do not let it deter you from saving this reality, your courage is essential to everything. Also, I saw that your powers has finally increased to psychic level; not that you hasn't done that before. You did link your consciousness to people's to sense either their physical location or their internal emotions, but to psychically communicate with others is very impotant when the ultimate conflict eventually arrives. You will be the sole, living mean of communication between all bending forces amassing against your archenemy in case other means are blown out of proportion. Don't worry, you have earned the next slot for more of your soon-to-be-unlocked powers; and as they get here, we will be ready. Have a goodnight, son, I'm proud of you.

Esillith"

Now that this letter reminded me of my increased powers, and with Esillith's encouragement, I felt confident and positive. Putting the letter back in the bag, I changed into my other metal outfit, left to me by the Orb Guy three night before: A fit, black T-shirt with Testament's album 'The Gathering' cover artwork at the front of it and Destruction's 'Metal Discharge' on the back ( without the bands' name and album title, like before ), military pants with woodland camouflage pattern on one leg and Motörhead's 'Iron Fist' on the other and a thin, grey hoodie to cover the shirt so as not to attract too much attention. All this with my black boots made me look like a badass motherfucker. Grabbing the money pouch, I exited the room, locked it, went down to the ground floor, heading straight to the hotel's dining room and ordering some breakfast, finishing it, then went to the reception counter and gave Tanna the key, complimenting her choice of formal wear to brighten her day a bit since she knew I was going to meet the Avatar. Tanna blushed and shyly thanked me. After I was outside, I caught a tram to the arena and hurriedly walked towards the direction of the gym. Once I entered it, I saw Korra, Bolin and Mako throwing a big ball against each other; I unzipped the hoodie's fly and got out of the sweatshirt, tying it around my waist.

"Hey, everybody, how are ya?", I greeted the trio, approaching them.

"Hey, Saudorn!", Korra greeted back, unintentionally throwing the ball a bit too hard towards Bolin, knocking him on the floor, flat on his back.

Before I could say anything, she already wrapped her arms around my neck and proceeded to kiss me deeply. I looked to Mako and saw that he seemed... a bit jealous. Sorry, pal , about your zero-to-none chance, heh heh. When Korra and I broke our kiss, we looked at one another in the eyes, then suddenly the young Avatar pointed at my shirt, then pants.

"Wow, that's a wicked shirt and pants you got there!", she exclaimed.

Next, she stood away in order for the Ferret brothers ( Bolin'd gotten up at this point ) to have a clear look at my outfit.

"Whoa, those look awesome! Even though there's quite a dismal quality to it. But don't get me wrong, they do look cool!", Bolin spoke aloud, excited.

"Yeah, pretty cool", Mako commented shortly.

"You rich, rich boy, such a player!". Korra hugged me tightly.

Rich? Me? Heh, if only she knews. "Sooo... What've you guys been doing?", I asked.

And Korra told me that the brothers needed her up to speed if they wanted to survive in the tournament. Also, because they were all rookies, they got the worst time slot in the gym. Next, I asked her if I could join the 'balling' practice, and both the Avatar and Bolin accepted my request. Soon, all four of us were throwing ball against each other; the more we did it, the more aggressive the practice got, just like that song Aggression by Sadus.

So are you afraid of me?

Stand up for the things you say behind my back!

Extreme - Incensed - Enraged!

You make me feel aggression!

Your words mean squat to me!

You've never proven your worth beyond a pile of shit!

All I feel is...

Anger rushes through my veins!

In no time, I'll take you down. You will be crushed!

Intense - Maddening - Fury!

You make me feel aggression!

I can't believe all I hear.

As for you, you'd better prepare to feel my rage!

All I am is... ag-gres-sion!

To your face - I am the scorn!

In your eyes - I am the thorn!

Won't back down!

Time is short - Your time is due!

I'll be here when you're through!

Revenge is mine!

All I feel is ag-gres-sion!

All I am is ag-gres-sion!

Your words destroy yourself!

You'll go down because of this. I'll see to it

Severe - Outrage - Boiling!

You make me feel aggression!

No light, no hope; you fall!

Vindicated, I stand here and watch you fade!

All that's left is... ag-gres-sion!

First, Bolin was eliminated, getting hit pretty hard by me ( poor Bolin. That was twice in a row, though ); then, after a while, Mako was knocked down by Korra. Just you and me, babe. The 'Balling Final' was quite intense, to say the least, with me and the Avatar throwing the ball back and forth. It got to the point of someone having to declare the 'match' draw, when out of the blue, the sound of a throat being cleared distracted me and I was knocked down by the ball, causing Korra to jump up and down, celebrating her 'winning'. Seems like I've got a rematch on my list.

"There are my little hard-working street urchins". A hatman in quite an extravagant suit walked towards us.

As I stood up, I saw him put his hand on Korra's shoulder and spoke:"It's an honor to finally meet you, Avatar".

Honor? Honor my ass, you fat-pocketed fuckin' sleazebag.

Annoyed, Korra replied:"And you are...?".

The man took off his hat. "Butakha. I run this whole pro-bending shebang", he said.

Figures. Butakha put his hat back on as Korra walked towards me and stood by my side, giving me a look as if saying "Is this guy for real?". I just shrugged, but I had a feeling the fucker couldn't be trusted. He, then, took a wad of cash out of his inner pocket and placed it into the outstretched hand of an eager Mako. Bolin was standing next to his brother and there was a red-furred ferret on his left shoulder, out of nowhere. The fuck?

"Here's your winning from the last match", Butakha said.

Mako grinned broadly, moving to put the cash away, yet the man raised his finger. "Ah ah ah, not so fast". He took some of the cash from Mako. "First, you owe me for the Avatar's new gear". Next, he took more cash. "gym and equipment rentals from last month".

Mako looked sad, seeing the money taken away. He moved to put the rest away, but the son of a bitch stopped him again. "rent on your apartment". Mako looked dismayed now. Butakha moved to take the remaining money. "and a personal loan-".

ENOUGH! Angrily, I stopped the rotten-to-the-core motherfucker from taking the last of the money using my... mind? _Oh shit. Oh shit! I'm Charles Xavier now, bitches!_ With my new-found power, I psychically guided the greedy shitfuck's hand back towards Mako's and made him drop the money. _And a personal loan... is not really a big thing, at all._

"... is not really a big thing, at all", Butakha said, robot-like, surprising the Ferret brothers and Korra.

 _You can keep it and-_

"You can keep it and-".

Suddenly, my head hurt, and the connection between my consciousness and Butakha's was lost. _Ugh, you gotta be joking me!_ Seeing me with eyes tightly shut, Korra spoke, concerned:"Are you okay?".

Opening my eyes again, I tried to ignore the ache. "Yeah, I'm fine", I replied, giving me a reassuring smile.

When I returned my attention back to Mako, Bolin and Butakha, the latter was staring at Mako's hand; then, seeming like he finally snapped out of it, he said haltingly:

"Uh, right... You can keep the money".

"But, anyway, one more small item of business: The Fire Ferrets need to ante up thirty thousand yuans for the championship pot".

I was shocked. _Thirty fuckin' thousand yuans?_

"Thirty thousand yuans?!", Bolin spoke aloud, sounding shocked too, minus the cursing, of course.

 _Son of a cunt! I'll fuckin' kill-_ I reached out psychically Butakha again, but there was nothing. I tried again. _Nothing!_ _Wha- what is this shit?_ My powers were gone! _Wait a minute, is it just the mind control thing or all of my powers?_ Before I could check it out to see if my powers were really gone or not, Butakha's voice cut off my stream of thoughts.

"Sorry, kids. You got 'til the end of the week to come up with the dough, or else, you're out of the tournament". The bastard put his hand on Mako's shoulder.

Bolin feebly reached after Butakha as he walked away. I discreetly pointed at Shitface Hatman and moved my right index finger to the right while Korra walked up to the brothers, directing him to turn right, hoping against hope that my powers were not all gone. Aaaand Butakha did turn right. _Thank all of the Gods of Rock 'n' Roll and Metal!_ The Hatman turned around and looked at us, Korra raised her eyebrow as if saying "Something else in your mind?". Butakha huffed and turned around, exiting the room.

"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?", Bolin spoke to Korra.

"I got nothing". The young Avatar pulled out her empty pockets. "I've never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me".

"How about you, Saudorn? Your clothes look expensive. Maybe you have-". Bolin turned to me.

"Nope, not even over one thousand yuans". I shrugged. "And my clothes? They are from my family back home. All hand-made. Sorry". I lied smoothly.

But secretly, I already made a mental note to ask Esillith for about twenty-something thousand yuans to help out the Ferrets. I didn't even know how to contact him, but I had to try.

"Well, Korra, I wouldn't say you have nothing", Mako told Korra, slightly accusing, picking up the ball and putting it in his bag.

"Sorry, I didn't mean...". Korra looked guilty.

"You don't have to apologize". I intervened. "I know you didn't mean it". I put my hand on the Avatar's shoulder, making her smile slightly.

Bolin quickly agreed with me. "No, it's all right. It's just...". He lowered his voice. "Ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own".

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know", Korra said compassionately.

"Yeah. My condolences also", I spoke to Bolin.

"Thanks". Bolin nodded towards me and the Avatar.

"So, anyway, how are we gonna come up with the money?", Mako wondered aloud.

Bolin suddenly was excited. "Oh, oh, I got it! I got it!". He held up the red-furred ferret. "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. Now people would pay good money to see that!".

All three of I, Mako and Korra looked at Bolin like he'd gone crazy. _Circus tricks to earn twenty-something thousand yuans? Unless it's done Joker-styled, there's no freakin' way!_

"Come on, Bolin", Mako spoke irritably, "we need serious ideas".

Bolin held Pabu close, downcast, as he heard what his brother'd said. "I was serious", he said sadly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do", Mako stated, walking away.

After saying goodbye to Bolin, Korra and I exited the arena, me putting back the hoodie on, deciding to get back to Air Temple Island to work something out about the money problem. Because I couldn't swim like Korra with her waterbending, we both resolved to catch a tram to the dock and a ferry to the island ( with Korra insisting on paying the fares, needless to say ). During all that, she asked me if I truly didn't have much money, to which I replied by showing her my money pouch, telling her that even with this amount ( 401,5 yuans ), it wouldn't make a single difference. Korra, then, told me to ask 'my family and acquaintances' to send some money to help the team, after a thoughtful halt, and I responded, telling her I would do that ( but not to 'my family'. They're fuckin' dead ).

Once we reached the island, Korra asked me to teach her more about wrestling, having thought to solve the money problem, for now. I accepted her request. All noon, I taught Korra what Esillith had taught me about wrestling, showing her other basic wrestling skills and moves. Next, I showed her some signature moves from some of my favorite wrestlers: Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit ( R.I.P. :( ), Eddie Guerrero ( R.I.P. :( ), A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels. The Avatar's eyes went wide in amazement when she saw me perform moves like the reversed Flapjack, Angle Slam, the Moonsault, the Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex, Frog Splash, the Pelé Kick and the Last Rites on several male Air Acolytes who Korra'd somehow persuaded to 'help' her "learn a new form of martial art" ( poor sods ). Because of Korra's limited time ( she had to continue her airbending training soon after ), I could only teach her the reversed Flapjack, the Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex, the Pelé Kick and the Enzuigiri ( which she'd had a taste of previously ). After all that, the young Avatar went on to continue the spinning gates practice. Later that afternoon, I was watching Korra going through the panels for the umpteenth time when Jinora uttered:

"Ooh, he's cute".

I looked at her, then turned around and saw Mako walking towards us. After Korra exited the gates, hands on her knees, catching her breath, Jinora asked her:

"Korra, is that the handsome firebender boy that you've been talking about?"

While the sister was busy asking Korra, Ikki jumped next to her to have a better view. Korra looked wide-eyed, glanced back and saw Mako.

"I know you and Saudorn are girlfriend-boyfriend, but he's really cute! I think he's much cuter tha-", Ikki spoke aloud.

The young Avatar didn't let her finish the sentence, swiftly earthbending the sisters, catapulting them in the air, looking at me, embarrassed. I just chuckled and came to stand alongside her. Mako pulled up to us and directly asked Korra, ignoring me, while Jinora and a giggling Ikki softly landed behind us, using their airbending:

"You seen Bolin?".

"Nice to see you, too", Korra replied sarcastically, causing me to laugh softly. "And no, we haven't seen him since practice, right Saudorn?'. She turned to me, looking for me backing her up.

"What she said, we really haven't seen him", I directed Mako.

"Think something's wrong?", Korra asked Mako back.

Mako shook his head. "I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations". He sighed. "See you later".

Korra briefly glanced towards me, I nodded. She quickly raised her hand and called after Mako.

"Wait". She walked after him with me in tow. "We could, uh... help you look for him".

"Nah. I got it". Mako raised his hand, brushing Korra off.

I grabbed his arm a bit forcefully. "Hey, cool guy, let us help you". I turned to Korra, letting go of the Ferret team captain's arm.

The Avatar smiled. "We can take Naga", she said.

 _So that's the polar bear-dog's name. Naga._

Mako was intrigued. "Who's Naga?", he asked.

"My best friend". Korra proudly pointed to herself. "And a great tracker".

"Roughly twenty minutes later, all three of us were riding on Naga through the streets of Republic City. It was night already. After a short while, the polar bear-dog approached a statue of some guy ( I later learned that it was Fire Lord Zuko ) holding up a flame, pulling up at its base. We looked around and saw several people chatting and hanging out on the square.

"Well, this is his usual hangout", Mako said behind me, getting off Naga and walked up to some street kids pushing each other around and laughing. "You guys seen my brother around here today?", Mako asked.

A kid wearing what looked like a Soviet military cap replied:"Perhaps. My memory's a little... "foggy" ". Leaning closer, he casually rubbed his nose. "Maybe you can help "clear it up" ". A casual, yet suggestive hand was held out, asking silently for money.

Korra and I now got off Naga and approached Mako. The Ferret team captain scratched his head.

"You're good, Skoochy", Mako spoke, annoyed, "a real pro".

 _Yeah, pro at grabbing opportunities for easy money._ Mako then dug into his back pocket and retrieved a yuan bill, handing it to Skoochy, who immediately put it away in the inner pocket of his jacket. Korra looked shocked and disapproving, wanting to tell Skoochy to return the bill. I put my hand on her left shoulder and whispered:"Don't. It's necessary". The young Avatar intended to object but swiftly decided against it.

Skoochy spoke:"Yeah, I seen him".

"When?", Mako asked.

"About noon", the boy replied.

Mako pressed:"What was he doing?".

"he was performing some kind of monkey-rat circus. And then...".

The boy held his hand out to Mako again. In more annoyance, Mako took out and handed the street kid another yuan bill.

"And then what? Why did he leave?", Mako pressed again.

"Shady Shin showed up and flashed some serious cash", leaning closer, Skoochy spoke, "Bo took off with him in his hot rod. The Triple Threats, the Red Monsoons, the Agni Kais. All the Triads are muscling up for something real big. Now that's all you're getting from me!".

Then, he promptly turned around and ran off, his friends running after him.

"What was he talking about?". Korra was curious.

"Sounds like there's a turf war brewing". Mako looked seriously worried. "And Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it".

Subsequently, we moved away, getting on Naga's back again.

"So where're we headed?", Korra asked pragmatically.

"The Triple Threats Triad's headquarters. Hopefully Bolin's there and nothing's gone down yet", Mako talked as Naga ran towards a bridge over a river.

Korra looked back at me, then at Mako. "The Triple Threats Triad? I and Saudorn beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town. Why would Bolin get tangled up wi-".

The rest of the Avatar's sentence was cut off when Naga suddenly shot forwards. The animal dashed through the street, taking a sharp turn in pursuit of a running fire ferret. _Looks familiar._ Korra pulled the reins to halt her mount, to no avail. Naga now turned around the corner of a building, the ferret waiting for us. Then, he ran down the street and climbed a street light as Naga approached.

"That's Pabu!", Mako spoke aloud, recognizing the small animal.

 _No wonder it looks familiar._

"No, Naga! Pabu's a friend, not a snack". Korra pulled on the reins again.

 _Lemme provide some help._ I linked my consciousness with Naga's, telling her what the Avatar had said, calming her down. And it worked! Pabu, upon seeing a calm Naga, slid down the pole, and brought his nose forwards to touch Naga's, before jumping on her head and running down her back to climb onto my shoulder in order to jump on Mako's, who briefly smiled at the animal.

The ferret team captain urged Korra:"We gotta hurry".

About thirteen minutes later, all of us were standing outside the Triple Threats Triad's headquarters.

"Something's not right". Mako approached the door cautiously with Pabu still on his shoulders. "There're usually thugs posted out front. We better be cautious".

He pressed his back against the door post and peered into the door window, while signaling to Korra and me that it was safe to come up. As he was back in the shadows, the Avatar casually strolled towards the double doors, forsaking any sneaking up. Next, she proceeded to kick the doors down, walking in without a care in the world.

"Caution plus empty room equals awkwardness, my friend", I told Mako, having scanned the room inside even before the team captain himself checked for any sign of people inside, entering the room, hands behind my back.

And indeed, the room was empty, the furniture was broken. _There was a struggle here._

"Bolin? You in here?", Mako spoke softly, once inside.

All of a sudden, a truck's engine roared, the sound appearing to originate from the back of the building, outside, causing us to promptly run outwards. Korra kicked down another door and we were just in time to witness a truck and six motorcyclists drive off, while there was one ready to get on the bike. At the back of the truck, its doors were still open, allowing us to see Bolin... and Shady Shin, I presumed, both tied down and gagged. Next, a masked individual closed the doors. Shocked, Mako and Korra ran after the strangers while I subtly froze one of the masked motorcyclists' feet, preventing him from getting on the vehicle. When Mako and Korra approached the vehicles, two masked motorcyclists pulled out two grenades and tossed them at the incoming duo, exploding with a bright flash and producing thick, heavy and green smoke, effectively halting their pursuit, making them cough heavily and cover their mouth, for some seconds. The two masked figures drove off immediately after the grenades exploded.

"Naga, come!", Korra ordered the animal.

The Avatar started running in the direction the motorcyclists took off, Naga and Mako racing after her. Then, Korra and Mako jumped on Naga as the polar bear-dog dashed out of the smoke-filled alley.

"Saudorn, come on!", the young Avatar called me, trying to slow Naga down, as she remembered that I hadn't climbed on the animal yet.

"Don't worry, just go, I'll catch up with you with my own mean of transportation here!", I shouted, pointing at the panicking motorcyclist's vehicle.

Both of Korra and Mako's eyes went wide as they looked back, realizing that there was one masked figure behind after all the fuss. Approaching the motorcyclist, I froze his arms as well, rendering him completely helpless. After that, I proceeded to give him a savage kick to the back of the head, knocking him flat on his stomach. Just to be sure, I pulled him up, kneeling, jumping back and gave him a sweet Sweet Chin Music right across the jaw with my left foot, eliminating him from whatever his mission was for good. Afterwards, getting on the bike, I put my right hand in the air, forming a fist, yelling:"Ride on! Ride on!", mentally switching on the song Ride On by Grave Digger in my mind and revved away.

 _When the war is over,_

 _Darkness all around._

 _No government, no industry._

 _The world is upside down!_

 _Out in the fields,_

 _red lights fade to black!_

 _No presidents, no majesties._

 _The sun never comes back!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Ride On - Ride On!_

 _Ride On - Ride On!_

 _Hear what I say!_

 _Truth or another lie?_

 _Jesus comes and Jesus goes!_

 _Nobody can deny!_

 _Follow the sign and march to paradise!_

 _You can lose or you can win!_

 _You only must survive!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Ride On - Ride On!_

 _Ride On - Ride On!_

 _Ride On - Ride On!_

 _Ride On - Ride On!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _Higher and higher - straight to the sky!_

 _Higher and higher - Aloha!_

 _ALOHA!_

A few minutes later, I caught up with Korra and Mako riding Naga, both of them gawked at me in surprise. _Yep, this is me letting my inner biker roam free!_ I raised a fist with my left hand, similar to what Korra had done when she was supporting the Fire Ferrets alongside me on that balcony, grinning broadly. Korra immediate got excited and raised her right fist, grinning back, causing Mako to shake his head slowly. When we almost caught up with the strangers, Mako sent a fire blast at the masked motorcyclists, who swerved to avoid it; soon after, Korra earthbent at them too and one of them avoided the first earth crack, being catapulted in the air by an earth ramp straightaway, yet landing perfectly safely. The motorcyclists dashed out of the alley and swarmed into an open square. Four of them fell back, two swerving to the left and the others brought their motor to a spinning halt while throwing two bolas at the incoming Naga and me, causing her to crash to the ground, sending both Korra and Mako flying through the air and onto the ground as well, while I having to jump away from the bike to avoid the bola aiming for me. I looked back at Korra and Mako, seeing them getting up, preparing to fight. When I looked forwards, I saw the four motorcyclists had already gotten off their vehicles, taking on a fighting stance.

"Let's see what you got", I taunted the strangers.

Swiftly, the opposing foursome ran towards us, a female and a male targeting Korra and Mako while the other two males rushing at me. I waited 'til they were near me, the first one aiming to give me a kick while the second one wanting me to taste his fist, then quickly side-stepped, avoiding the first one's kick, kicking at the leg he used for the kick, causing him to lose balance and fall on the ground, grabbing the second one's fist, hunkering down, picking him up on my shoulders and throwing him onto the ground, flat on his back. Promptly, I turned my attention to Korra to see her initiating a hand-to-hand combat with the female motorcyclist, while Mako was being... touched rapidly along his right arm, briefly clutching it, but quickly focusing again as the male motorcyclist, who'd been attacking him, came at him again. That was when I sensed my first assailant trying to... poke at me. _The fuck he's trying to do?_ Immediately, I grasped his right wrist and twisted it aggressively, making him scream in pain, while dodging the second one's attempt for a surprise strike, deflecting him away with my kicks, guiding the first one's right arm behind his back, and giving him a spinning kick to the temple with my left leg, bicycle-kicking the other's incoming foot head-on, making him fight for his balance, his back turning to me. Realizing the opportunity to take him out, I rushed at him, grabbing his head from behind and performed the Breakdown, a full-Nelson facebuster used by Chris Jericho many times, effectively eliminating him. Right away, I checked on Korra and Mako, and saw that both of them had already been taken down, their assailants walking towards me, grunting hatefully; I grabbed my first attacker and performed an extremely vicious Black Magic, a move Low Ki had utilized to nearly crush the back of his opponents' head. Upon seeing such sight, the female motorcyclist gasped in utter shock, stopping dead in her tracks.

"All right, I'll take care of him", the male motorcyclist said, advancing closer to me.

"You have made a mistake bringing your loved one to the battlefield, boy", I taunted the male, realizing that he definitely sounded younger than me, judging from his voice, "those two friends of mine are not capable of being nasty, because they have not tasted the cruelty of the world... yet. Well, maybe he has". I motioned to Mako. "But I am the eldest and I know how to break you. See, I'm a nonbender, just like you, only I am a whole new level compared to you".

"You speak too much, you worthless traitor. I'm gonna shut you up!", the male shouted, running straight up to me.

 _You fool, I'll give you... a lesson - in - violence!_ With Exodus's A Lesson in Violence playing in my head, I came at the male, blocking his strikes, intending to elbow him in the face; yet he was very quick, dodging my right elbow, hooking his right leg to mine, tripping me falling on my back. Then, he proceeded to use his right foot to stomp me; however, I caught it, yanking it to my left, causing him to fall forwards, rolling to my right, still holding his foot, meaning to break his ankle with an Ankle Lock. Nevertheless, he rolled on his back rapidly and kicked me away. _Hmm, the will to survive is strong in this one._ Standing up, I watched him jump from back to feet flexibly, then walked towards him as he did the same. When we approached each other, we engaged in an intense hand-to-hand combat, which was much like Korra versus the female motorcyclist, trying to hit one another where there would be an unguarded area. Soon, the male tried to poke me, using his speed; but if he was as quick as he'd dodged my elbow, I was just as quick, dodging his attacks. Next, attempting to surprise me, he spinning-kicked at me, his guard open, creating an opportunity for me to swiftly drop down and kick his standing leg with my left foot, causing him to tumble on all fours. Not wasting time, I got up and gave him a spinning elbow right on the back with my left arm; after that, I used Low Ki's Dragon Clutch on him, choking the hell outta him.

"If you attack me, I'll break his fuckin' neck". Sensing the female about to come to the male's rescue, I threatened, tightening the hold.

The female hesitated, leaving me room for a payback for Korra and Mako. Lightning fast, I released the male only to push him kneeling up and give him a ruthless Hurricanrana Driver, causing his head to contact the ground with a thud.

 _If you got something to say, then come my way!_

 _I'm guarded by Satan, I'm riding on Baphomet!_

 _I'll teach you a lesson in violence you won't soon forget!_

 _The pleasure of watching you die is what I will get!_

 _Fight! For what you believe to be right!_

 _Crushing with all your might!_

 _I laugh at their pitiful cries!_

 _They run from the fire in my eyes!_

 _Nothing can save them now!_

 _You've learned a lesson in violence!_

 _Get on your knees and bow!_

 _Or learn a lesson in violence!_

 _I love to stab my victims until they're dead!_

 _A knife to the throat or a smashing blow to the head!_

 _I'm judge and jury, my sentence has just been passed!_

 _Step into the circle of hell if you think you can last!_

 _Fight! For what you believe to be right!_

 _Crushing with all your might!_

 _I laugh at their pitiful cries!_

 _They run from the fire in my eyes!_

 _Nothing can save them now!_

 _You've learned a lesson in violence!_

 _Get on your knees and bow!_

 _Or learn a lesson in violence!_

"NOO!". The female rushed to the now surely unconscious male and cradled his head in her left arm, frantically yanking the mask away, revealing the handsome face of a 17/18-year-old teen. "He was my brother, you bastard!", the female screamed at me.

"Don't worry, he's still alive. But I suggest you to get him out of here as soon as possible, before I change my mind", I spoke, showing the female a cold smile.

Silently, the female put the male teen's right arm around her neck, leading him towards one of the motors. Suddenly, the other motorcyclists were at her side, helping the teen on his sister's bike, then getting on their own vehicles and drove off. When the strangers were all gone, I walked up to Korra and Mako, standing there, shocked.

"Just saw you get hit by them mask-wearing losers and couldn't help it", I explained, grinning broadly.

But both of them didn't grin back, not even showing a little smile. Ignoring me, Korra asked Mako:

"You know who they are? After getting knocked down by that masked female, I couldn't bend anymore!"

"What? You can't bend anymore? How-", I bombarded Korra with questions, when I realized that I could check her ability with my mind. So I did.

 _Her bending's still there, thank Goodness._

"Calm down, it'll wear off", Mako spoke, "those guys were chi-blockers. They're Amon's henchmen".

 _Chi-blockers? Sounds famili-_

All of a sudden, a memory flashed before my eyes: It was me back in my reality, researching the words 'chi-blocking' through Avatarwiki after watching an episode of the Legend of Korra. The Wiki stated:"Chi-blocking is an ancient method that has been practicing in secret for centuries... rendering the victim's muscles useless and temporarily disabling a bender's abilities".

 _Well, well, well, the cat is outta the bag now._

"Amon? That anti-bending guy with a mask?", Korra inquired Mako.

"Yeah, he's the leader of the Equalists", he replied.

"What do they want with the Triple Threats?", the Avatar wanted to know.

"Whatever it is. Can't be good". Mako touched his forehead, frustrated. "Urgh, can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess!".

"Mako". Korra put her hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. "We are going to save your brother. I promise that".

"And I promise you too", I spoke to him, not wanting to be left out. However, I meant what I'd said.

Mako only nodded at me. I looked at Korra to search for her support, but she haltingly looked away.

 _Probably still shocked, just give her time._

Later, we were riding on Naga, me sitting behind Mako as Korra'd insisted. _Is she afraid of me now? Does she hate me?_ We went through another street of the city in search of Bolin. A moment later, we were in the vicinity of a deserted bridge, moving through another street.

"We've been out all night. No sight of him". Korra sighed.

"We've gotta keep looking. But where?". Mako sounded tired.

Naga turned in another direction, with all of us closing our eyes in disappointment. Suddenly, Korra erected herself and spoke:

"Huh! I have an idea!".

Feeling determined, the Avatar pulled the polar bear-dog reins and directed her all the way to... _Republic City Park? Why here?_ We pulled up at a fountain, Korra letting Naga drink the water. Pabu climbed on top of the polar bear-dog's head and took a drink too. Both Korra and Mako had gotten off the big animal and were sitting by the fountain while I stood, stretching.

"The first day I got to town, I ran into an Equalist protester", Korra said, pointing to an empty space opposite her, "over there".

 _The protester! Oh, I'm such an idiot. Of course! Of fuckin' course!_ Korra wanted to interrogate him to find out where the Equalists kept Bolin. _Smart girl._

Mako turned to Korra. "And you think they'll know where Bolin is?", he inquired.

"It's our only lead right now", Korra replied.

When all of us were too tired, Korra called Naga and walked her over to a tree and let her lie in front of it. She, me and Mako, then, proceeded to sit down, leaning against the polar bear-dog, with me inbetween, of course. At first, the Avatar was reluctant to sit next to me; but then, she relented and moved a bit closer to me. For a while, we three didn't say anything, making the silence grow to the point of uncomfortableness. Couldn't stand it any longer, I had to break it by asking Mako:

"So, why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threats Triad, anyway?".

Uncomfortably, Mako evasively answered:"Well, we... we used to do some work for them back in the day".

"What? Wha- Are you some kind of criminal?". Korra looked dismayed.

Laughing softly, I directed her:"No, Korra, he said 'used to', meaning he and Bolin don't do that kind of work anymore".

Even though she was irritated by my reply, her face softened somewhat. Mako looked at me appreciatively, then spoke to Korra:

"I just ran numbers for them and stuff. We were orphans out on the street, I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother".

 _Yes... Survival of the fittest. Though, Bolin is not really the fittest kind_ ( figuratively, not physically ). But he could work under pressure, alright.

Korra responded sympathetically:"I'm sorry, it must have been really hard". She halted, then spoke carefully. "Can I ask what happened to your parents?".

"They were mugged". Mako sighed. "By a firebender". _Huh, the irony._ "he cut them down right in front of me. I was eight". _And those Equalists dare say all benders oppress nonbenders all the time? What a bunch of horseshit._

"Mako...", Korra said.

"Bolin's the only family I have left. If anything happened to him...". Mako looked sad.

 _Guess I'm luckier than him, because I don't have a family left to look after. Hell, I don't even have a world left to return to. Such convenience, creating a sadistic, genocidal monstrosity who used to be my favorite work of art, eh?_

We fell silent again after Mako'd finished his sentence, kinda; then, we all fell asleep. I was myself in a random dream when someone patted me solidly on the right shoulder. After several insistent pats, I opened my eyes, starting to speak. Yet I couldn't speak! My lips were like glued together! I looked at the figure who'd been standing in front of me, seeing that it was a tall man in black, gazing down at me. He was wearing a mask, an iron maiden mask. _Since when did Amon know anything about the iron maiden? Are the iron maidens in this world too?_

 _No, my dear Saudorn, this mask has nothing to do with Amon; on the contrary, it has everything to do with me. Because I like it!_

 _Esillith? The fu-_

 _Follow me, my friend, we'll talk somewhere discreet._

Obeying Esillith's request, I stood up and followed him as he walked deeper into the trees. _So he has a human body after all._ When we were deep enough in the small forest, the used-to-be Orb Guy waved his left hand elegantly in the air, creating a thin mist around us. Turning his attention back to me, he said, his voice sounded quite metallic, joking:

"If you want to see me in an alien form, I can do that. But, beware, it won't look good to the ey-".

"Okay, okay, your human form is fine", I quickly spoke to stop him from transforming into some ridiculous-shaped alien, "anyway, what are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining, but I'm surprised you decided to show up here and now".

"I am aware of your request, Saudorn, and I would like to help you. However, I'm afraid I'm here as a bearer of bad news", my mentor replied.

"Bad news? You mean...", I asked, suddenly worried, a thought running through my mind.

Behind the mask, Esillith sighed. "Yes, my friend, they are here. They are finally here".

I gasped in shock, scenes of horrid hellscapes created by Zulathulhu flashed before my eyes. _How is it possible? They can't be here that fast! Esillith has said-_

"Well, apparently, I was wrong. I didn't anticipate them to arrive here so quickly. But they are here nonetheless. And before you say I could be mistaken, no I wasn't; because this is a serious matter which requires no room for mistakes". Esillith cut off my thought.

 _If that is the case, then... Ah, shit._

"Lemme guess...", I spoke hesitantly, "Zulathulhu is not actually here... but Agrigula".

"How did you know?". My mentor was perplexed by my guess.

I sighed. "Yesterday, before I and Korra went to the arena for the second time, I...". I closed my eyes, willing myself not to conjure the memory of the pain the scar on my back was giving me. "... I felt the pain from my scar again", I finished my sentence.

"I'm sorry, Saudorn, for not being there and ridding it for you. I know the I-have-other-responsibilities excuse is not acceptable, but-".

"It's alright, Esillith". It was my turn to cut my mentor off. "At least Korra was there for me, even though it was quite... embarrassing". I halted. "Anyway, what do we do now?", I inquired.

"No, it's 'what do you do', Saudorn. I can't directly help you prepare for the coming storm; nevertheless, I didn't say 'we'll be ready' in the letter just for the fun of it. In fact, I already had a sleeper agent of mine in this world watch out for you. It's time to make her a sleeper agent no longer", Esillith responded.

" 'Her'? ". I was surprised, to say the least.

"Yeah, 'her'. All of my 'hims' are busy kicking asses elsewhere, sorry".

I didn't really know what to say about that, feeling kind of awkward. Then, I suddenly remembered what I'd done back at the square, so I told my mentor about it and about Korra's reaction towards my savage acts. Upon hearing this, Esillith nodded understandingly; in fact, he was not at all concerned about it. He said that he was not like Master Gandalf or Professor Dumbledore, so he wouldn't recommend doing anything about being noble and such; yet he warned me that if I wanted Korra to trust me completely, I would have to sacrifice myself at one point, though he didn't say how or when.

"But I guess she'll get over it soon, don't worry. After all, she's pretty used to violence already. And about the sacrifice stuff, it's for the time when things between you and her get really really bad. So just take your time".

After that, he told me that given the dramatic change of events, he was forced to give me my main power straightaway, the rest would come later. "There's no time for some video game achievement bullshit now", he said. And that power was... manipulating organic matters on a molecular level! With this ability, I could create anything out of thin air, using viruses, bacteria, other kinds of microorganisms and trees and other living stuff as the materials, for my purposes. That was one of the reasons John Landers had been able to defeat Zulathulhu and his forces! But I didn't think it'd be that easy; of course, not for my main character, and certainly not for me.

After giving me the power, Esillith said goodbye to me and promised that he would return as soon as possible, then he disappeared in a brief but brilliant flash of light. _For a guy who surely loves light so much, he definitely rocked that man-in-black cloak. No wonder he didn't even hesitate to send me some metal outfits. Ah, if only Mr. Dennis_ ( my high school History teacher ) _was like that, rocking metal outfits and every Sabaton song while talking about World Wa-_

All of a sudden, I heard a twig snapped somewhere behind me, pulling me out of my thought. I focused again and saw that the thin mist had already apparated. I turned around and saw Mako staring at me.

"What are you doing here late at night?", he inquired me suspiciously.

"You have to ask? Why, of course, I was peeing! What do you think I was doing? Standing here, acting like a demented soul?". I chuckled ridiculously.

Mako eyed me doubtfully, then walked back towards Naga, Pabu and Korra, still sleeping, with me in tow. When I sat down next to the asleep Avatar, Mako turned to me and spoke in a low voice:

"Maybe you were peeing, maybe you were not. But if I discover that you were up to something shady-".

"You're welcome to try, flame-boy; yet I doubt that you'll be able to beat me", I cut him off, replying arrogantly.

With an annoyed huff, Mako turned away, closing his eyes and starting to sleep. Next, I turned towards Korra, who had subconsciously snuggled against me, gently moving some hair covering her forehead, kissing it lightly. _Maybe you still love me after all, Avatar._ I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep.


	11. Chapter 9 (b)

**Note: This chapter still contains super coarse language; readers, please brace for impact! Also, this chapter will contain multiple point-of-views from now on so as to make the story a bit... more interesting ;) . I don't own the songs Dreaming Wide Awake by Poets of The Fall ( a bit rock-ish, but you'll see its meaning soon ), Shudder To Think by Exodus, Do or Die by Testament and Fire and Damnation by Exumer. *Singsong* And I still don't own the Legend of Korra!**

 **Chapter IX ( b ) - I Am War, The Creator of Hell**

 _Too late, the melody is over._

 _The joke seems to be on me 'cause I'm the one not laughing_

 _down here on the floor._

 _Deflate, the mystery of living,_

 _in the most heartless fashion I could ever imagine._

 _No pretense of decor._

 _Another place and time, without a great divide,_

 _and we could be flying deadly high._

 _I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake_

 _Another place and time, without a warning sign,_

 _and we could be dying angels-styled._

 _I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you... wide - a-wake._

 _With me, disaster finds a playfield._

 _Love seems to draw dark, twisted pleasure tearing at me._

 _'Cause I can't let you go._

 _Mercy, like water in a desert,_

 _shines through my memory like jewelry in the sun._

 _Where are you now?_

 _Where are you now?_

 _Another place and time, without a great divide,_

 _and we could be flying deadly high._

 _I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake_

 _Another place and time, without a warning sign,_

 _and we could be dying angels-styled._

 _I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you... wide - a-wake._

 _It's like I'm racing to the sun,_

 _blindly face the blazing gun._

 _'Cause I'm afraid I will be left_

 _here without you._

 _Like I'm racing, not to run,_

 _give more when I have none._

 _'Cause I'm afraid I will be left_

 _here without you... wide - a-wake._

 _Wide - a-wake..._

 _Wide - a-wake..._

 _Wide - a-wake..._

 _Another place and time, without a great divide,_

 _and we could be flying deadly high._

 _I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake_

 _Another place and time, without a warning sign,_

 _and we could be dying angels-styled._

 _I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you..._

 _I'll dream you... wide - a-wake._

In a dream, I was a vocalist of a metal/rock band, singing a cover of the song Dreaming Wide Awake by Poets of The Fall, before thousands of fans, with Korra in the front row, cheering for me, in the night! It was great. It made me feel great! I looked alive and rocking, words from my mouth burst forth like a majestically, yet somehow poetically, invisible flame. One that enchanted and fueled the crowd, and the Avatar herself, transporting them to another place better and more worthwhile than the one they were living in. After finishing the song, the band decided to take a breather after playing three long songs without halting. When we played again, we chose an original song this time, and the music once again filled the air, driving the crowd crazy, Korra jumping up and down, her face beaming with awe and happiness, one hand forming the Horns in the air. As the opening riff changed into verse riff, I started singing and... I noticed that the crowd suddenly was chanting "Equality now! Equality now! We want equality now!". Also, my beloved Avatar was nowhere to be found. _The fuckin' fuck?_ The crowd continued to chant, then everything became all white, all bright, like sunlight. _Sunlight?_

I opened my eyes and saw that it was already morning. Groaning softly, still groggy, I turned my head to the right and looked at Korra, who was leaning her head on my shoulder, still sleeping. I gently tapped her shoulder, whispering to her:

"Wake up, sweetheart, it's morning already".

Several light taps on the shoulder later, slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed sleepily into mine.

"Saudorn?", she uttered with a low voice, then looked away, either embarrassed or... afraid.

"Yeah... Uhm... Morning to you, Korra", I said awkwardly.

"Morning to you, too", she replied, not facing me.

 _That was... disappointing. But I guess I'll have to be more patient._ Sighing lightly, I moved to give her temple a peck, making the young Avatar turn her head to me, staring with wide eyes. I just smiled at her gently, then looked away towards the- That was when I heard a soft grunt on my left; unhurriedly, I turned to my other side, witnessing a gradually waking up Mako, whose head was... on my left shoulder. _Uh oh._ As soon as Mako's eyes opened and focused, seeing me staring at him, he yelped, eyes shooting open with horror, scrambling away. Korra, on my right, upon seeing that, giggled quietly. To pull Mako out of embarrassment and to stop Korra from giggling further, I glanced forwards, pointing at the protester who the Avatar had encountered on her first day in the city, asking:

"Is that the guy you were talking about?". I turned to Korra.

No longer giggling, having been distracted by my question, she followed the direction of my pointing finger.

"That's the guy", she confirmed.

Immediately, all of us, including Naga, who had awakened even before we three did, stood up and approached the protester, who was speaking through his megaphone.

"Amon calls you to action, nonbenders of Republic City! Take back your home! It's time for the...". He gasped as he saw Korra, I and Mako walk up to him, his eyes wide open upon seeing me. _That's right, no-good liar, be afraid_ ( Veronica Quaife:"Be very afraid" ). We pulled up at the table on which he stood. "It's you again!", he spoke into the megaphone, pointing at Korra, trying to ignore my presence, "you cannot silence me, Avatar!".

Korra promptly swatted away the megaphone, causing it to fall onto the ground, broken into pieces, under a squeal of the protester. _Ooh, it squeals. Guess we'll turn it into a full-time squealer yet._

"Shut your yapper and listen up. My friend got kidnapped by some chi-blockers. Where'd they take him?", the Avatar inquired the protester, who glared at her while clenching his fists.

"I have no idea what you're talking about". He crossed his arms uncooperatively.

"Oh, I think you do", Korra spoke threateningly, then she lifted her leg in the air and slammed her foot down with a half-moon kick, causing the earth underneath the table rise, catapulting it high in the air and throwing the protester off.

Now leaflets with a picture of Amon were raining down upon the area. The protester and his assistant were frantically picking up the sheets, looking dismayed, after the first one had recovered from falling off from the table. Mako grabbed one of the papers out of the air and examined it, as did I.

" 'Witness the Revelation tonight, nine o'clock' ", he read aloud. "What's this 'Revelation'?". He turned to the protester.

"Nothing that concerns the likes of you!", the protester spoke irritably.

He squealed again as I moved closer and grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him up in the air. "You better believe it concerns us. Now spill it, or I'll make a squealer out of ya, all broken bones and stuff", I threatened him.

The protester became frightened. "No one knows what the Revelation is! And I have no idea what happened to your friend", he frantically said. "But if he's a bender, then my bet is he's getting what's coming to him", he arrogantly added.

"Where's it happening?", Mako inquired him.

Before the protester could say anything, a whistle was sounded. _Really, saved by the fuckin' whistle?_ All three of I, Mako and Korra turned to our left, seeing the same park attendant, who'd prohibited Korra from fishing here previously, run towards us while blowing his whistle again.

"Hey! What's going on over there?", the park attendant yelled.

"The Avatar and her friends are oppressing us. Help!", the protesting bastard screamed, blatantly lying.

Korra put her hand on my shoulder. "Let's scram", she said.

I tossed the worm away, not forgetting to give him a stomachache, using my powers. _Payback's a bitch, bitch._ We ran off towards Naga, but Mako quickly snatched up a handful of leaflets before vaulting on Naga, Korra and I already perched upon the polar bear-dog, with Pabu sitting in front of her. As soon as Mako was on Naga, the animal took off. About fifteen minutes later, we were sitting on a bench underneath a bridge, having gotten away from the scene earlier, with Korra holding one of the leaflets, while she and Mako were both looking at several others spread out over the ground. There hung a map of the city next to the Avatar on the wall. While they were discussing about the Equalists' location of the 'Revelation', I was thinking about the 'Revelation' itself. Appoximately three minutes into thinking, I had another flashback all of a sudden: It was a Friday night, and I was sitting on the couch, eating popcorn and watching an episode of the Legend of Korra, which later had a scene of Amon... taking away some benders' ability to bend for good? _So... that's what the Revelation is, or going to be, about. However, now that one of Zulathulhu's Lord-Patriarchs - Agrigula - has arrived here, the very nature of the event could be changed dramatically. Will Agrigula try to recruit the Equalists into his forces or will he take on everyone directly?_ No one knew about Agrigula's powers, thinking and what he was capable of except me and Zulathulhu himself, so based on my knowledge of his abilities, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to face the whole World of Benders head-on in an all-out war. He was, after all, the Commander of the Legion of War. Nevertheless, I hadn't created Agrigula basing on Angron from Warhammer 40,000 and Caligula from real life ( well, real life's history, that is ) solely; and I hadn't just given him brutal strength and a lust for blood, but a mindset of a strategist as well, such as: Sun Tzu and Zhuge Liang. Therefore, Agrigula could have made a deal with Amon, feeding him lies about helping him turn his anti-bending Revolution into a frickin' Crusade, only if Amon let Agrigula take over half of the world or something. Either that, or the monstrous son of a bitch used brute force to tame Amon, reserving his strategies for this world, or for me. Upon reaching that thought, I shuddered, Exodus's Shudder To Think playing in my mind.

 _You hit rock bottom, now where do you go from here?_

 _Sunk-down, locked-up, all you do is disappear!_

 _All your promises are all just a pack of lies!_

 _You've got nothing, something you can't recognize!_

 _Why don't you take some responsibility!?_

 _You're pointing fingers and blaming everybody!_

 _Shudder to think if I lived like you!_

 _They would be shaking too, if they only knew!_

 _I can't take any more excuses!_

 _No longer needed and you don't have any use!_

 _Washed up, washed out, what more can I say!_

 _You better start filling out your resume!_

 _Why don't you take some responsibility!?_

 _You're pointing fingers and blaming everybody!_

 _Shudder to think if I lived like you!_

 _They would be shaking too, if they only knew!_

 _Everything was there for the taking!_

 _Too busy with the lying and faking!_

 _Drugged up, fell out, too many second chances!_

 _Nothing else to do under the circumstances!_

 _Why don't you take some responsibility!?_

 _You're pointing fingers and blaming everybody!_

 _Shudder to think if I lived like you!_

 _They would be shaking too, if they only knew!_

Agrigula was not the worst of my archenemy's collection of freaky, eldritch monstrosities, but he was still a bad, very bad, motherfucker. My scar was the painful proof of that. _Hope Esillith's sleeper agent will join me soon. The sooner the better. And hope whoever that is, is a-_

"Saudorn, are you listening?", Korra's voice suddenly cut off my thoughts.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm listening", I replied, focusing again.

Both Korra and Mako looked at me, unconvinced; but Korra decided to tell me again that Mako had figured out where the Equalists' location of the upcoming 'event' was. I nodded, giving Mako a thumb-up, smiling to mask my worries. After that, we went somewhere to have breakfast, discussing what to do next. Korra suggested that we all should get each one disguise outfit to be able to infiltrate the place. I and Mako agreed, paying for the meal, leaving the restaurant and entered a clothing store to buy some middle-class long sweatshirts and two hats for Mako and Korra ( I didn't need a hat to disguise myself, because in a middle-class sweatshirt [ I'd tied my hoodie around Naga's neck lightly, using her as my living, moving cloth rack ], I looked random as fuck ).

Came nightfall, we arrived near the place, a factory, barely visible in the fog. A group of people came before us, and we watched them enter the building, staying inside the shadow of another building. We, then, nodded at each other, walking in the direction of the factory's entrance, both the Avatar and the Ferret team captain putting their hats on to make them unrecognizable further. As we walked on, Mako fell back to let me and Korra go first, with the girl grabbing hold of my right arm. We looked at each other for a while, Korra seeming a bit uncomfortable but she blushed all the same. Finally, we approached the doorman who was guarding the entrance.

"This is a private event", the doorman said, crossing his arms, "no one gets in without an invitation".

"Uh... invitation?", Korra spoke haltingly, causing the doorman to look suspiciously at us, raising an eyebrow.

"Relax, my brother, my sweetie here is a little simple is all". I chuckled at the doorman, taking out a leaflet from my pocket and showing it to him.

The doorman took the leaflet, eyed it, then moved out of the way, speaking amicably:"The Revelation is upon us, my brother and sister".

 _You don't say?_ Once we were inside, we waited for Mako. Korra gave me a glare.

"So I'm just a simple sweetie of yours, huh?", she spoke sulkily.

"Come now, love, you know I didn't really mean that". I laughed softly.

"Prove it".

So I kissed her to cure her sulkiness. And it worked, the Avatar melting into my arms.

"Mm... I could do this all night", Korra whispered when we broke the kiss.

"And miss all the fun the Equalists have in store for us? Sounds tempting", I responded, grinning.

"And talk about tempting...". Korra wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me again.

As we were deepening the kiss, we heard someone clearing the throat. Quickly breaking the kiss, again, we turned to see that Mako was standing there, arms crossing.

"Once we get my brother out of here, you two really need to get a room", scolding, Mako walked past us.

Shrugging, I wrapped my arm around Korra's shoulders and follow Mako. When we entered a meeting chamber, we looked out over the gathered crowd. _Pretty impressive._ Everyone was waiting before an empty, but lit, podium.

"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place", Mako commented. _Well, you should have seen Nazi Germany. Quite awesome too._ "Keep your eyes out for Bolin", the team captain said.

Deliberately, we made our way through the crowd, approaching the podium for a better view. Then, out of the blue, someone announced:

"Please welcome your hero". A hatch opened in the middle of the stage, light pouring out from it. "Your savior... Amon!".

 _Nah, save yourself, you smug bastard._ Soon enough, Amon emerged from a trapdoor in the stage with a line of Equalists behind him under loud, approving cheers of the crowd. _Reminds me of pop concert crowds. Idiots._ A spotlight was turned on, illuminating the Equalist leader. He, next, walked up to the microphone, people still cheering loudly for him.

"My quest for equality began many years ago", Amon spoke, "when I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders". _Yeah, right._ "This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man, but when he did, that firebender took my family from me". _Oh, boohoohoo, my-family-got-killed-by-a-bender excuse, boohoohoo._ "Then, he took my face". The crowd gasped in astonishment. "I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City". The crowd was booing her now, well, not directly anyway. I turned my attention to Korra and saw her hide her face in the old scarf I'd bought her, which she was wearing. "And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But, she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world, is suffering". _Oh, you think you know suffering? I bet you'd cry with blood upon seeing what Zulathulhu'd done to my world. Or maybe when Agrigula goes Hellraiser on your ass._ "It has been the cause of every war in every era". I turned to Korra again, seeing her grit her teeth in anger. I put a hand on her shoulder gently, soothing her. She looked at me in the eyes, then placed her hand on mine, smiling shortly. "But that is about to change. I know you have been wondering, "What is the Revelation?". You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity". _Hah! That's like saying Jesus has failed Mankind too! Fuck off already._ "That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make Equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away. Permanently". _Dun dun dun!_

The audience gasped again, finding what Amon'd said hard to believe. I turned to Korra, seeing her eyes widen in horror.

"That's impossible". She turned to me and Mako. "There's no way".

"That guy's insane!", Mako whispered.

I didn't say anything, for I'd already known. But I wanted to show the Avatar that she had my full support, so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders again, squeezing her right arm lightly, looking at her in the eyes. And I witnessed the seed of fear sown inside her, ready to take root.

"Now, for a demonstration. Please welcome, Lightning Bolt Zolt", Amon now returned to his speech after a dramatic halt, watching an Equalist guard lead a tied up man onto the stage. "Leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City".

The crowd started booing.

"Ah, boo yourself", Lightning Bolt Zolt spoke aloud, annoyed.

 _Famous last bending words. Enjoy your bending while you can, Mr. Zolt, for you're gonna become 'Zero Dude' soon._ Next, more Equalist guards led four more tied-up benders onto the stage, forcing them to their knees, Bolin being the last of them, glancing around with a scared expression.

"There's Bolin", Korra spoke.

Then, she determinedly started walking to the front; but I pulled her back.

"They are many, we are but three, Korra, we can't fight them all", I lied. To be honest, I was wary of Agrigula more than the entire Equalist organization, including Amon and his ability to take away people's bending. If that sadistic, monstrous fucker hadn't arrive here yet, I would definitely wipe the floor with these smug, Equalist assface motherfuckers. "We need to be smart about this".

Korra was annoyed. "Then come up with a good plan, Smart Guy", the Avatar replied sarcastically.

Amon continued his speech. "Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing nonbenders. But his reign of terror is about to come to an end. Now, in the interest of fairness". An Equalist man with Chinese mustache, who wore a pair of goggles, took off the rope binding Zolt. "I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending".

Amon moved away from the leader of the Triple Threats Triad and another Equalist guard pushed Zolt in the opposite direction Amon took to bring some space between them.

"You're gonna regret doing that, pal", Zolt said arrogantly.

 _Scratch the whole 'Ah, boo yourself'. 'You're gonna regret doing that, pal' are his true famous last bending words. Bye bye beautiful._

Lightning Bolt Zolt immediately directed a fire blast at Amon, then another, and another, and the latter nimbly dodged them all, gradually coming closer. Frustrated, Zolt switched to surging forwards while generating lightning, firing the bolt at the Equalist leader who ducked underneath it, grabbed hold of Zolt's wrist, and twisted it around and away from him. The lightning crashed into the stage, before hitting the ceiling as Amon turned his hands further away. Also, Zolt's neck was grabbed by Amon's other hand, held firm, lightning still shooting out of Zolt's fingers. As Amon moved his right hand, which was holding the criminal's wrist, to his forehead, he placed his thumb in the center, causing Zolt's eyes to go wide, either out of fear or out of whatever effect Amon's ability had on him. Now, the crackling lightning changed into a great fire blast, and stopped entirely. Amon, then, let go of Zolt, who collapsed weakly onto the stage floor. Next, Amon took a few steps back and Zolt attempted to firebend at the Equalist leader to no avail, crashing back to the floor before the feet of his 'better'. The crowd gasped for the third time. _Quote Destruction:"And in the end, there's only one thing: Total Disas-ter!"._

"Wha... what did you do to me?". Lightning Bolt- Nah, Zero Dude Zolt spoke, shocked.

Amon replied in an authoritative tone:"Your firebending is gone. Forever".

The audience gasped for the fourth time. _Everyone sure loves to gasp, eh?_ I looked towards Korra and Mako, they both were aghast. Frankly, I found the whole thing quite 'meh' for two reasons: First, I'd already seen it; second, bitch, please, losing the ability to end was the last thing a bender should worry about, because when Agrigula showed up, there would be some fucked-up shit going on. And when I say 'fucked-up', I mean it.

"The era of bending is over. A new era of Equality... has begun!", Amon finished his speech.

The crowd cheered madly. While onstage, one of the Equalist guards released the second captured bender, Shady Shin, and kicked him forwards to face Amon. _Hopefully he knows how to fight in the shade_ ( *Spartans laugh in the background* ).

Korra now turned to me urgently. "Any idea yet?", she said desperately.

Before I could say anything, Mako nodded and spoked:"Yep. See those machines?". He looked towards the machines on the walls. "They're powered by water and steam. If you create some cover, I and Saudorn can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then, we duck out of here".

Korra replied:"Works for me". She, then, tapped Mako on the shoulder. "Mako, good luck". They shook hand. _Hey, I'm still here, peo-_

"You too", Mako responded.

Next, she turned to me, suddenly hugging me pretty tightly. "be safe, you hear?", she whispered to me.

"Not loud, but clear enough". I grinned.

The Avatar grinned back, giving me a quick kiss on the lips, then emerged at the side of the pleased crowd, carefully moving through one of the side exits.

"So, you think you're ready?", Mako addressed me slightly challengingly once he turned to me.

"Right from the get-go, Jealous Boy. But the real question is: Can you keep up with me?". I smiled confidently, earning a nasty glare from the Ferret team captain.

 _It's gonna be do-or-die time soon..._

 _Living my life on borrowed time,_

 _watching my dreams disappear._

 _My fists slowly clench as my mind seeks control._

 _My body trembles in fear._

 _Life was looking up for me when I left home._

 _It seems like yesterday._

 _Now I'll never go back there again._

 _Here is where I'll stay._

 _Nobody can hear you scream or shout._

 _Once you're in, you won't come out._

 _You will never - Yeah! - see the light of day!_

 _I'm the hunter, you're my prey!_

 _Watching the clash between the forces below_

 _from up in the planes we're flying!_

 _Survivors are taken as prisoners of war!_

 _The others are slowly dying!_

 _I shiver as we strap on our parachutes!_

 _We line up to jump out the doors!_

 _We're already there and there's no turning back!_

 _I fall to the scene of war!_

 _Nobody can hear you scream or shout._

 _Once you're in, you won't come out._

 _You will never - Yeah! - see the light of day!_

 _I'm the hunter, you're my prey!_

 _You can see me flying right over your head!_

 _Try to stop me. You can't! 'Cause your armies are dead!_

 _To cross the blood-red trenches of the dead below!_

 _Do or die, Hell's the place you'll go!_

 _Living my life on borrowed time,_

 _watching my dreams disappear._

 _My fists slowly clench as my mind seeks control._

 _My body trembles in fear._

 _Life was looking up for me when I left home._

 _It seems like yesterday._

 _Now I'll never go back there again!_

 _Here is where I'll stay!_

 _Nobody can hear you scream or shout._

 _Once you're in, you won't come out._

 _You will never - Yeah! - see the light of day!_

 _I'm the hunter, you're my prey...!_

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After running through a hallway filled with machines, I stopped, turned a big red wheel on one machine. After about five seconds, the wheel turned, releasing one small air leak.

"It's not enough", I whispered to myself.

I, then, bent over and squatted down, turning a small red wheel, causing another minor leak to shut out of the pipes. Still not enough. How in Spirits' name-

"Hey, you!", a voice interrupted my thought.

I stood up and saw the same big guy who'd guarded the entrance of the factory approach me. _Time to play 'innocent little girl'._

"Is there a problem, my brother?", I asked him, looking innocently, voice slightly higher-pitched than normal.

He said gruffly:"What are you doing back here?".

"Uh... looking for the bathroom?", I replied, re-using the I-have-to-pee excuse, cracking a grin. _Hope it works this time._

After that, the big guy took out a wrench. _Nope. Okay, if you want the serious way._ The guy twirled the wrench in his hand, and attacked. I nimbly ducked under his swing, and evaded his next attack, coming up behind him. He turned around and aimed an overhead swing at me. _Whoa! The asshole really wants to kill me!_ However, I evaded the blow again, making him hit the pipes instead. Now the big guy looked pretty angry. He swung violently at me, yet only hitting the pipes again, denting them. Throwing the hat away, I used the second-hand scarf Saudorn'd bought me for the disguise to tie around the guy's wrist as he aimed for another swing towards me, pulling him into a turn, flinging his entire body into the machine, knocking off all the vents that were holding down the steam. Through three open pipes, steam pored out and filled the room.

"Thanks. This should be enough". I spoke satisfiedly.

Before could go help Saudorn and Mako, I heard someone slowly clap several time from behind me. I turned around to see a woman in a black-and-red cloak, whose face was half-hidden, showing her blood-red lips and straight-edged, white nose and two streams of long, curly and crimson hair. She was still slowly clapping, hands in a pair of matching gloves, approaching me without speed.

"Well, well, well... I see that he chose another one for his mate well: Nice, round breasts, great waist, and probably lovely butt as well", she spoke, shocking me with what she was saying, "but more importantly, a girl who can use her brain properly, not that you're that perfect, though. Nevertheless, there's something special about you that excites him; ah, yes, you're one of those headstrong, stubborn, fierce, yet somehow naive girls. And an Avatar too. To tell you the truth, I also feel the... urge myself. Yes, ain't you a little something to long for?".

"Wh- who are you? What are- what are you talking about?", I stammered.

"Ah, where are my manners?", the woman replied disturbingly sweetly, "I neglected to introduce myself". She slightly bowed. "I am... an associate of Amon. Therefore, that makes me... your enemy". Her voice was no longer sweet. In fact, it seemed to make the temperature drop crazily!

As soon as the woman in black-and-red finished her sentence, I bent two blasts of fire at her direction immediately. However, astonishingly, the mysterious woman dodged the two blasts instantly, just like Saudorn'd done during my wrestling test with him. _Spirits, she's so fast!_ Slightly worried, yet still confident, I bent several water bullets at her, placing them close to one another so that she wouldn't have enough space to dodge them. When the water bullets were really nearly hit her, she just calmly moved her right hand to the shape of a half-circle, not too fast, but not too slowly either, seeming to make my water bullets disappear into thin air! Angry now, I aimed to earthbend at her, creating a crack of earth right underneath her feet. Yet before the crack of earth even struck her, the woman just jumped aside nimbly and tauntingly! _Who is this woman, really?_

"A shame, I must say. Third time is not truly the charm in this case". The woman chuckled. "But don't worry, sweetheart, I'll show you 'first time's the charm' right now!".

And with that, she held up her left hand towards me, palm up, fingers lightly mimicking the act of holding something. Next, what looked like an energy sphere, a big one, one that enveloped her whole hand, appeared, emitting a weird kind of light which looked extremely sinister. Then all of a sudden, there were... lightnings? There were lightnings inside that sphere! Before I even realized it, I was hurled backwards, landing on my back heavily, feeling lightnings surge through my body. _Ugh, the pain! Spirits, the pain._

"This is just the first of many gifts which I'll send your way 'til you're tired of them and beg for a quick death, little girl". I heard the woman speak, her voice was very close to me now, not being able to turn my head or even to move my eyes in order to see her.

Soon after, her face filled my vision.

"And this is the second one". The woman began to... nibble at my right ear, pulling my earlobe a bit harshly using her teeth. What in the...

I felt her inhale my neck, then blackness of unconsciousness engulfed me entirely.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After Shady Shin and another criminal were 'eliminated' by Amon, it was Bolin's turn. An Equalist guard moved towards him, and as the guard started fumbling at his ropes, Bolin anxiously looked back, whimpering. Once he was free, he was pulled on his feet and thrown forwards, stumbling forwards on the stage. Amon now slowly turned around under loud cheering of the crowd. _Fuckin' sheep._ Bolin was moving his lips, saying something to Amon, probably trying to explain why he was with the Triple Threats in the first place. _As if the fucker cares._ Amon moved forwards and Bolin slightly backed up.

...

?'s p.o.v.

I'd been watching the Avatar strike forth, using all three of her bending elements, yet that woman in black-and-red dodged and countered all of them like it all was not a big deal. _Damn it. So Esillith was right: Agrigula aimes to hit Saudorn below the belt; and with her, he definitely grasps him by the balls now. This is worse than it first looked._ As I continued to watch on, the mysterious woman ( to Korra, that is ) shot a big electric sphere ( a smaller version of Rootmars's attack in his first form in Metal Slug 3 ), super fast, towards Korra and the young Avatar was knocked on her back five seconds later. _By the Light, that move was OP as shit!_ I was shocked, my mind racing, trying to comprehend what'd just happened. _Definitely worse than it looked._ Next, the woman... teleported? She teleported next to the Avatar in a blink of an eye! Then, she... crouched on all fours- _What the fzoza is she doing?-_ and appeared to say something in the young girl's ear. After that, she... bit the girl's ear, appearing not so hard, and pulled at her earlobe with her teeth! _Oh, this case's going to give me a headache._ I forgot that Helena was attracted to teenage girls from 17 to 19 years old. Korra was about 17 years old, so it made perfect ( creepily perfect ) sense! _But I'm still not sure if this woman truly is Helena, or... Sonja. Her hair looks dyed, yet Zulathulhu could have granted her the color to match with her designed appearance. Anyway, poor Korra, she's not only gonna be that demented monster's prey, but also her enemy as well; she will be tormented beyond belief simply because... she's Saudorn's girlfriend now._

After satisfying herself, the woman in black-and-red left, exiting the room, moving towards one of the hallways' shadow. When I was sure that that monster had gone, I approached the unconscious girl and revived her, using my ability to speed up the process of time around her, causing her to wake up, stand up and run back to her friends without noticing me. Looking at the departing Avatar, I mentally wished her good luck and, out of the blue, expressed a yearning for Saudorn. I knew he had a new girlfriend now, but... I still admired him all the same. _No, no time for this nonsense! You must get back to Esillith and report what you've seen tonight._ Wasting no time, I quickly dashed out of the factory silently, unseen, just like one of my two idols - the Catwoman, into the night.

 _I am not a thief,_

 _but I am one with the night._

 _I. Am. Ba-_ ( no, not Batman or Batgirl! )

 _Huh, I watch BTAS too many times._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Amon was very close to Bolin now, he was going to take his bending away! _Korra, whenever you're ready!_ Then, before Amon could act, an explosion to Bolin left made him duck for cover. About damn time! The crowd were screaming now. Steam started pouring into the meeting room.

"Our cue to act!", I spoke to Mako.

"Let's go!". He agreed.

We made a run for the stage, jumping on it, looking for Bolin. I used my mind to scan the stage, finding that the Ferret team captain's brother was two meters away from me, to my right. And there were two Equalist guards moving to grab him. _Oh no, you don't!_ Swiftly, I sprinted towards them, catching the first one's wrist as his hand was on Bolin's shoulder, pulling him forwards in my direction, quickly squatting on my left knee and right foot, lifting him up on my shoulders and giving him an F5 of his lifetime! ( Paul Heyman:"F5! F5! F5!" ). While Mako emerged out of the steam from behind the second one, grabbed hold of him and threw him away over his shoulder. Mako, then, turned to his younger brother.

"Bolin, you all right?", Mako asked.

"Yes!". Bolin clasped his hands in relief, before extending them for a hug. "Mako! I love you!".

As Bolin moved forwards in an attempt to hug Mako, I grabbed his shoulder and spoke:

"No time for that shit, Bolin. We gotta go".

Mako nodded and seized his brother around his neck and dragged him off into the steam, me following suit. Five minutes later, we arrived at a balcony, having kicked open the door, scaring off some birds; when we saw two hooks at the edge of the balcony, we knew they were a part of the ladder leading to the ground level, so we ran over to it and started descending, Bolin being the first, then Makon, and finally me. Once we were in the middle of the ladder, we heard running footsteps on the balcony; looking up, we saw the Goggles Guy standing there, staring dow at us. He, next, wasted no time and twirled his sticks and slamming them into the ladder- _Fuck, the son of a bitch intends to electroshock us!_

"Look out, electricity!", I shouted, alerting the brothers of the threat, while rapidly stepping my feet on a ladder rung near my hands and jumping away, flipping myself into an Eaglesault ( a Moonsault with legs put together, straight, arms spreading like an eagle wings, a move I'd created myself when I was still watching WWF/WWE, seeing Chris Jericho use the Lionsault as a heel to mentally counter him. And as I'd been training under Esillith's guidance, I had time to perform and perfect this move ). But instead of landing on the ground on my stomach from two stories high, which would be a very stupid thing to do, I landed on my feet, with pretty thick, yet soft living-material carpet, created by my powers, underneath to absorb the impact, of course ( I also had no intention to cripple myself that night, landing on my feet on the ground, thank you very much ). However, it was pretty late for both Mako and Bolin as the electricity shocked them into screaming, causing them to fall down, landing with grunts, unconscious. Bastard. He must have turned the electric power from the stricks to nearly maximum or something. Next, Goggles Fucker jumped down from the balcony, his sticks charged.

"You benders need to understand, there's no place in the world for you anymore", he said, pointing his stick in his left hand at me.

"You wasted your time telling me that, Bug-Eyed. I am no bender. But I'm not completely powerless either. Wanna find out?", I countered.

Without a word, the Equalist came at me with great speed. _Quite fast, eh?_ He tried to jab me with his sticks, missed several times as I dodged his attacks. _Using speed against speed, hitting him back wouldn't be smart in this case, because it only prolongs the fight, and I need to get both Mako and Bolin and Korra out of here, wherever my Avatar girlfriend is; therefore, I'll just let Bug-eyed Fuckface wear himself out, then finish him off._ My plan began to work once executed. Then... I couldn't move for two seconds, feeling someone intruding my mind, sensing that familiar presence. No, it can't be. A surge of electricity went through me, causing me quite a pain, cutting off my though. I half-knelt, grunting, gritting my teeth at the painful sensation.

"Clearly I have found out, that, you are just powerless, alright". Goggles Asshole commented, moving to jab me again.

"No, you haven't, Smug... Bitch".

Slightly lifting my right hand up, fingers pointing at him, before the sticks connected to me, I shot out the amount of electricity I'd received from the sticks earlier, having stored it in my body, using my ability to manipulate living cells ( yes, with John Landers's main power, I could also manipulate my own body's living cells, but only to some extent ), towards the Equalist, throwing him hard against a wall, unconscious. Quickly, I looked towards Mako and Bolin, and they were still out cold. _Thank Goodness they didn't see me using my power._ Turning my attention back to Bug-Eyed, I said:

"That was what I meant when I said I was not completely powerless either".

After that, I heard someone slowly clapping, the sounds coming from the shadow of a corner. When that someone emerged from the darkness, I gasped audibly. It was Agrigula, in his human form, still with his right arm the shape of a swordfish's sword from the elbow down, a severed human hand, cut below the wrist, was tied to the sword using what looked like a bunch of bloody tendons; his left one was pretty normal, except for several jellyfish tendrils protruding from some places alongside his entire arm and the center of the opisthenar! ( and all this was just the beginning of Agrigula's collection of fucked-up shit ). After finishing clapping with the severed hand, the Commander of the Legion of War ripped it off the sword and the tendons and threw it away nonchalantly.

"I am War, the Creator of Hell", he announced, slightly bowing.

"I am... Concord". I hatefully and reluctantly carried out the "formal" name-announcing courtesy, which Zulathulhu forced me to do with each of his Commanders given the circumstance that I'd written it in my book for... some imaginatively theatrical effect ( and not one day after being captured by my archnemesis had I not regretted writing it ). "The Ensurer... of Time of Peace".

Upon hearing my reply, Agrigula gave out a howl of amusing laughter. When it died down, he put up his left hand and his sword hand in a fake pacifying manner, grinning and taking a step back, and said:

"Sorry. Didn't mean to laugh at ya. But that was hilarious! 'I am... Concord, the Ensurer... of Time of Peace' - I mean, you sure sounded just like Coronithyllas! All... dead-toned and boring. Ugh, couldn't imagine why you created him; but now I know! You're boring as shit!".

Another howl of laughter, still crazy, but a bit sinister this time, filled the night.

"Anyway, uhm, anyway, that was... a vulgar display of power! I love it!", Agrigula exclaimed excitedly. "But it would be MUCH better if you killed him instead, Father". His tone quickly cool down after that.

"I am not your father, Agrigula; and most certainly, NOT Zulathulhu's either", I replied coldly, trying to hide my panic away.

"Aw, why do you have to be such an asshole? You created us, remember!?". He returned my cold reply with a wisecrack, getting excited again. "And we all owe it to you, Father. You brought us to existence just like Victor Frankenstein did to his ultimate creation! You made us whole!". He proceeded to laugh again.

Furious, I formed a giant drill, using super fast multiplied and manipulated viruses and bacteria, and threw it towards the laughing sickfuck with outstanding speed. However, the drill suddenly disintegrated when it got real close to Agrigula. Again, I sensed that familiar presence. Five seconds later, he walked out of the shadow behind his superior.

"Hank Hyman Woodard", I spoke his name.

"Please, Mr. Creator, call me Fate Decider", he replied, bowing slightly.

"Fate Decider? What a shitty, lame codename. Even 'Squirrel Girl' sounds a million times better than that".

"But my powers are still... decisive, nonetheless", Hank smugly responded. "For example, like this!".

All of a sudden, I felt my throat choked by an unseen force, reacting with grasping at the area, subconsciously wanting to pull the ( invisible ) hand away. Agrigula had stopped laughing and was watching, a sinister, Mephistophelean grin etched on his face. Determinedly, I created a big, solid and round object resembling a big rock, trying to throw it towards Hank Woodard. Yet, he froze my arm, not letting me hurl the thing away, making me just hold it in the air.

"Time for you to go visit the All-Lord. Either that, or he'll come here and have fun with this world before your very eyes". Hank grinned maliciously, strengthening his mimicking of the Force choke, intending to render me unconscious.

I tried to struggle, to no avail, slipping slowly into that kind of blackness of unconsciousness that I'd dreaded back on Earth, having been tormented repeatedly by my archenemies. When I was sure there was no way out, a familiar voice sounded aloud.

"Saudorn!"

I was Korra, finally here from wherever she'd been, not that I was complaining at that moment. Being distracted by Korra, Hank Woodard's 'Force grip' on my throat slackened, giving me time for a breather. After dropping on my left knee, inhaling precious air, coughing, I looked up and saw Korra bending all three elements at Agrigula and Hank, causing them to dodge her attacks repeatedly. Alarmed, not wanting the Avatar to face my foul enemies alone, I broke a piece from the big object I had dropped next to me, shooting it forwards in front of my foes, making it release a thick, black smoke, confusing them. Grabbing the opportunity, the Avatar called Naga and she came running from behind a building; Korra then walked over to Mako, who was awake now, struggling to get on his feet, and helped him up. Now, more Equalists stormed the area from the balcony. Korra and Mako ascended onto Naga. Bolin was sitting up, looked slightly dazed, though he screamed in fright and moved his hands protectively before him as the polar bear-dog approached him, still running. She grabbed Bolin with her teeth by his collar and dragged him off towards me.

"Saudorn, come on!", Korra shouted, extenting her hand for me to grasp it.

"No, I'm fine, keep going!", I shouted back as Naga ran past me, ripping a piece of earth underneath my feet, controlling millions of microorganisms in it, and making it move as fast as Naga and alongside her, astonishing the bending out of both Korra and Mako, who were staring, wide-eyed, open-mouthed, at me; especially Korra, her eyes as if asking angrily:"How could you lie to me?". Bolin was still dangling by his collar in front of the polar bear-dog, bouncing, yelling frightenedly:

"Hah... Oh... Yah... Stop... I want... to be... on... your back... please!".

...

Agrigula's p.o.v.

Manoward ( another name I gave Hank Hyman Woodard ) screamed in outrage, looking at our departing preys:

"No, they're escaping!". He turned to the Equalist fighters. "What are you waiting for? After them! I want them all CAUGHT, now!".

Before the human spawns could run off in fear of my second lieutenant's wrath, an authoritative and firm voice from the balcony above stopped them in their tracks.

"Remember under whose command you are", the voice directed the humans.

Four seconds later, Amon jumped off the balcony, facing me. He, then, spoke again:

"If you want our alliance to last, I recommend you to be more exacting towards your subordinate, Agrigula. We had a deal".

"You pathetic, little human scum! I'll smite you where you stand!", Manoward shouted at Amon, "no one demands Lord Agrigula and live-".

"Stand down, Manoward, you will not do such thing", I ordered my third-in-command.

"But my Lord, he-", my subordinate insisted.

"I said... stand down. Or you want me to remind you under whose command you are too?". I put steel in my voice.

Dejected, Manoward deeply bowed and stood aside. Now, I turned my attention to Amon.

"You have done well, Amon. Your performance was very convincing. I believe you have struck fear into the Avatar's heart. However, Saudorn's still a threat, so your focus should be on him from now on, not her anymore. Do you understand?", I directed him.

"I do, Lord Agrigula". Amon nodded. "Everything is going according to our plan. And once you have your opponent and half of this world, you will give me Republic City and the other half, alongside with the Avatar. With, however, each of us commanding our own forces, as we have agreed", the Equalist leader responded.

 _Fool, I don't think so. But in the interest of having a little fun, I'll grant you some of your wishes._ "Very well then, my friend, you can carry on with other preparations for the war now. We'll talk soon, when everything's in order", I instructed him.

Amon bowed slightly this time, and motioned to his 'troops' to pick up his Lieutenant; then, he retreated inside the factory. Next, I turned to Manoward and told him:

"Tell Shredder to deliver a message to the All-Lord:"Korra has an azalea" and be quick about it. Go".

"As you wish, my Lord", Manoward replied, following the Sign of Ancient Sepulchra ( a deep bow with arms slightly extending away from the sides, palms up, mimicking holding two swords ), and immediately teleported away.

As I stood alone outside the building, I smiled, a song began to play in my head. _We are not done yet, Saudorn, not even a little bit._ Still smiling, I entered the building, Exumer's Fire and Damnation getting louder in my mind.

 _I break to your face and life, that's right! I know you said we won't shine bright!_

 _I feel you will go down with the rest, I check all your steps!_

 _Obey only one and master's call! I know that Satan will not fall!_

 _I shed not one tear and destroy! Burn down Heaven!_

 _FIRE AND DAMNATION - WE WANT MORE!_

 _This game is mine! Won't let it go! Shred through you and all my foes!_

 _Bend to none and never will! I dominate! In for the kill!_

 _None divine and just pure hate! Lesson learned! Annihilate!_

 _Demonic cause! Spread the vile! Bodies churned into a pile!_

 _WE WANT MORE - FIRE AND DAMNATION!_

 _WE WANT MORE - FIRE AND DAMNATION!_

 _WE WANT MORE - FIRE AND DAMNATION!_

 _WE WANT MORE - FIRE AND DAMNATION!_

 _You will sink like dead weight! I have been here! Anticipate!_

 _The end comes, without a doubt! You will see infernal clouds!_

 _Obey only one and master's call! I know that Satan will not fall!_

 _I shed not one tear and destroy! Burn down Heaven!_

 _FIRE AND DAMNATION - WE WANT MORE!_

 **Note #2: thank for reading and staying with me all this time! I really appreciate it! So, as a gift for you guys, in the next chapter, I'll put the Legend of Korra intro in and mix it with an intro of my own for Saudorn. Also, now that Agrigula has arrived, shit will hit the fan; therefore, expect things to become darker as they go ;) . Be seeing ya!**

 **Note #3: Just fixing stuff.**


	12. Chapter 10

**Note: Sorry for the wait, this week was busy as well. I guess from now on, 'Busy' is my middle name lol. Anyway, like I said in the last chapter, this one is going to have the Legend of Korra's intro and Saudorn's, so here it is! I don't own the song Wings of Destiny by Mystic Prophecy. *Singsong* I still... don't own... the Legend... of... Korra...! ( ugh, I'm really bad at singing acapella xD )**

 **Chapter X - Wings of Destiny**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After arriving back at the arena, I let Mako and Bolin get off Naga, ignoring Saudorn, quickly said goodbye to the brothers and intended to ride the polar bear-dog back to Air Temple Island and tell Tenzin about what had transpired tonight. That was when Saudorn called after me:

"Korra, wait, I can explain!".

Still ignoring him, still trying to calm myself, still hiding the emotional pain, I kept on directing Naga away, when some kind of a wall was erected from the ground in front of me, blocking Naga from getting out of there. Furious, I jumped off my polar bear-dog after she'd stopped, merely inches away from the damn wall, turned around and walked towards Saudorn, shouting:

"Asshole! Have you lost your mind?! You could have hurt me and Naga!".

"You gave me no choice, Korra, I had to do that in order to make you stay so I can explain everything to you", he replied calmly. Spirits, his damnable calm demeanor!

"There's nothing to explain about! You are a liar and that's it!", I shouted again, promptly walking away from him.

"Damn it, Korra, would you plea-". He grasped my left shoulder.

"Let go of me, you bastard!". I turned around and punched at him.

However, he grabbed my right fist with his right hand, tightly.

"No" was all he said.

 _That's it! I have enough of this!_ Angrier than before, I tried to hit him with my other fist, this time using firebending to make it aflame; yet he caught it too, his hand contacting the fire! _This guy's crazy!_ Next, he pulled me towards him, guiding my arms to my back, one hand grabbing hold of my wrists, the other wrapping around my neck, slightly but firmly. Under any other circumstance, I'd find this pretty arousing; nevertheless, I was still mad at him! So, I tried to struggle, to no avail.

"Stop struggling and let me talk, damn it!". Saudorn's voice was a bit aggressive now, reminding me of the violence he had inflicted upon three of those motorcyclist Equalists. "And don't you two interfere in this! This is between us", I heard him address Mako and Bolin.

Slightly frightened, I went rigid immediately. Feeling that I had stopped my futile effort, he spoke, his voice softened:

"There we go. Okay, listen, I'm sorry I-".

Before he could finish whatever he was about to say, I regained my composure and hit him with the back of my head, having felt his slackened hold, hearing him grunt aloud in pain, his nose probably broken. _Serve you right, prick._

Once I got out of his hold, I swiftly threw four water bullets at him, turning them to ice when they were near his limbs, effectively trapping him right then and there. After that, I called Naga, jumping on her back when she approached me, and got out of there as fast as possible, tears streaming down my cheeks. Saudorn might be trapped, but I didn't know what else he was capable of after his wrestling prowess. Not anymore. Several minutes later, I was in front of Air Temple Island, dismounted Naga, entered the temple, trying to calm myself again and wiping the tears away. How could he lie to me? He told me he was a nonbender and I believed him!

After a few more minutes, feeling alright enough, I went to find Tenzin, locating him near the Tower, talking with two White Lotus guards. While I was approaching them, Tenzin saw me and moved to meet me.

"Thank Goodness". He breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just about to send out a search party". He put his hands on my shoulders. "Are you all right?". I turned away from him and shook my head. "Korra, what happened? Did you and Saudorn find your friend?".

Upon hearing that name again, my bile almost rose again. But thank to sudden tiredness ( I guess this was the only time I appreciated tiredness ), I couldn't even be angry anymore. Quietly, I spoke:

"Yes, but...". My voice got a bit stronger. "I was at an Equalist rally. I saw Amon".

Tenzin was shocked. "What?", he uttered.

"He can take people's bending away". I was alarmed now. "For good".

"That's... that's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability". Tenzin sounded astonished.

"But I saw him do it". I insisted, begging Tenzin to believe me.

Tenzin looked calm now. _What is it with men and calmness?_ "I believe you". He turned to his right. "I don't know how Amon has achieved this power, but this means the revolution is more dangerous than ever". I turned to the direction Tenzin was looking at and gazed out at Republic City. "No bender is safe", he concluded.

We stood there for several minutes, wondering at the future of Republic City... and most likely, of the world. _Spirits, no._ I lightly gasped at such thought. _Is it really possible? I mean, I've seen Saudorn's enemies, I presume, but I'm not sure if- No, it must be! That creepily thin man with one messed-up eye with... with the ability to bloodbend! And that... monster! Now I understand how Saudorn got that scar; well, not exactly, yet only such monstrosity can be capable of such monstrous thing! I can't believe Saudorn lied to me about his scar as well! Why would he-_

"Korra, are you feeling okay?". Tenzin's voice brought me back to reality. "You look quite pale".

"I-I'm just tired is all, Tenzin". Lamely, I whipped out an answer. "I need to get some sleep now. Goodnight".

Immediately, I left, not letting my mentor have a chance to speak, heading back to my room to sleep, or to try to sleep. _Hopefully I won't have a nightmare while I'm sleeping._ Wishful thinking...

...

I was asleep, no dream, no nightmare. Nothing. Just peaceful sleep. Maybe it was not as bad as I'd dreaded it to be. Then, I heard noises; so faint, yet not really undetectable. Running footsteps! I quickly shot up in my bed, alarmed. Soon after, an Equalist chi-blocker broke through the window, while two more broke in through the door. I jumped out of the bed and kicked a downward fire arc through the air, kicking another arc towards them. The chi-blockers dodged them and came at me, but I blasted two shots of fire to keep them at bay. _Damn them!_ They avoided my attacks again, while one leapt up in the air while spinning in an attempt to kick my head; all the same, I blocked the hit with my arm, and fired several shots away. Four seconds later, I felt someone hit me in the back... with one's chi-blocking! No! Next, I was kicked to the ground on my knees while I let out a shout of pain. After that, I saw Amon walking forwards out of the shadow.

"After I take your bending away, you will be nothing", Amon spoke, hand reaching towards my face.

And that woke me up with a frightful scream, beads of sweat running down my face, me gasping for air. I, then, felt a big, wet tongue on my right hand. It was Naga, trying to comfort me before resting her head on my lap.

"It's... it's alright, Naga. I just had a bad dream". I rested my head on top of my polar bear-dog's.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

I shouted in anger, trashing the room for the second time. _That little goddamn Avatar girl! How could she-_ I grunted in pain, still feeling the afterache from Korra's headbutt ( or back-of-the-headbutt ) to my nose. _She-she broke my nose! Then she just left me there, limbs frozen! I was lucky my powers were, and still are, on a whole new level; or else, I'd have had to spend the whole fuckin' night trying to master mind control_ ( that Butakha business was still a one-time thing ), _trying to make Mako melt the ice for me! And talk about Mako, and Bolin! They didn't even help me! Fuckin'-_ Putting hands on my hips, head downcast, I sighed heavily. _Now the secret is out. Korra must have told Tenzin about my powers already. That's thrice the frickin' explanation, if I count Mako and Bolin as one. Anyway, at least Anyu'd been nice enough to heal my nose with some water; and she didn't even ask why I'd gotten a broken nose. Why couldn't Korra be more like her? I had no problem with headstrong girls, but the Avatar... I swear to all that is good, she was so infuriating!_

Sighing again, I sat down on the bed, the only thing I somehow hadn't trashed the hell out of, and began to think. _Where's Esillith when I need him? Last time, I didn't need him that much. Man, this whole thing sucks._ The more I delved deeper into the thinking, suddenly the more I felt tired. Not long after that, I slept.

...

I was asleep, no dream, no nightmare. Nothing. Just blackness from deep sleep. No one to bother me, nothing to disrupt my oblivion, not one-

"Good evening, my fellow Equalists". _What the hell?_ My eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. "This is your leader, Amon". Amon? I felt wide awake instantly, sat up, searching for the source of the voice, and seeing... Tanna sitting on a chair near my bed, the room's radio in her lap. _That thing still works after being thrown onto the floor twice?_ Wow. When I intended to speak, she signaled me to stay silent. "As you have heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors". _Give me a motherfuckin' break._ "Of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we cannot be stopped. Our number grow stronger by the day". _You'll regret that, fucker._ _Those are the numbers you can't control, or ally with._ "You no longer have to live in fear. It's time for benders to experience fear". _No. YOU - will experience fear. Quote Tankard:"Echoes of fear!"._

"This Amon guy is crazy", Tanna spoke at last, three seconds after the radio fell silent, "I mean, I know I'm a nonbender, but to join him? I'd rather join a circus!". That made me smile. "Anyhow, you're crazy too, mister. Look at what you've done to the room, the cleaning maids are gonna be very mad!". Before I could say anything, my receptionist friend stopped me. "I know, I know, you and the Avatar fought for the first time ever, as a couple. I understand". I was astonished. _How did she-_ "Oh, don't be so surprised, you knew I know you and the Avatar date each other; so, upon seeing this mess". She gestured around. "I just put two and two together. Also, your nose feels okay now? And Anyu told me about it, really". She looked concerned now.

Now that she talked about my nose. With healing and time, it got a lot better. And "better" was what I told her, nodding.

"Was it that bad, though? I mean... the fight?", Tanna inquired curiously.

"Well, you can imagine how she is. But I guess we'll work it out, soon", I replied. As soon as possible.

"And talk about 'soon', or 'early', it's not anymore". Tanna looked at the window.

When I followed the direction that she gazed at, my eyes went wide. _I've been sleeping nearly a whole day? It's fuckin' night already!_ With a loud groan of annoyance, I crashed back down on the bed, hands covering my face. _Fuckin' hell._

"Mm... You look so tempting...". Upon hearing the young woman say that, I sat up again immediately, evoking a small laugh from her. "... but time for you to hit the shower. We're going out tonight for dinner... and a story to tell, as friends".

"Oh, another dinner?", I asked.

"Yep. Now hurry your sexy butt or we'll be late for the reservation".

Rapidly, I ran for the bathroom, only to be called back by Tanna, who threw a suit and a bunch of accompanying accessories at me, with the dress-shirt landing on my head, then falling down onto the heap of folded clothes I'd caught.

"Five minutes, no more, no less. Later than that, I'll have to clean you myself". My receptionist friend spoke with a mischievous smile.

"Yes, ma'am!". I grinned, and got into the bathroom.

About five minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom, suited, ready to go. That was when I saw Tanna in another knee-length, Chinese-like fit ball gown, the color this time was light blue. She still looked as gorgeous as ever! ( well, still not more than Azara )

"You look amazing, Tanna". I breathed.

"And you're not bad yourself, Mister Zalear". Tanna winked, approaching me, hands reaching out to... fix my clumsily tied necktie.

"Now you look better". She smiled.

"Oh. Thanks". _Necktiiies!_ "Shall we go?". I presented her my left arm.

She nodded and took hold of my arm lightly. Soon after that, we were at the reception counter handing Anyu the room key and talking with her a bit. Anyu was pretty concerned, telling me that Tanna had told her that I slept like a log from dawn 'til dusk. She asked me if I was all right, to which I responded that I was fine, just some fighting with the Avatar as a couple. Needless to say, Anyu only became more concerned and suggested me to let her talk to Korra, despite the fact that they'd never met before ( but I guess it sounded plausible, since Anyu was from a water tribe as well [ this was way before I knew about the mental differences between the Northern and Southern Water Tribe, okay? Anyway, fuck Unalaq ] ), and calm her down in order for me to work it out with her. And, of course, I politely refused the offer, saying that I could handle it, not wanting more people to know about my powers just yet. During all this, I saw that Tanna was a bit jealous at Anyu. She probably thinks this is her friend's payback for the last time. _Oh, BFFs._

Quickly, Tanna politely told Anyu that she and I must go now, and pulled me ( tried to pull, to be exact. She was not as strong as Korra ) away from the counter, me hastily saying goodbye to the second receptionist, exiting the hotel, catching the tram to Kwong's again. I was lucky, though, that during the ride, Tanna was not really upset with me for being friendly with Anyu at all, not that she had any right to be ( *singsong* we were still just friends! ). Once we were inside the restaurant, we walked towards 'our' reserved table, took a seat and ordered dinner. While we waited, Tanna excitedly told me to tell her what I and Korra had done two days before, so I did, recapping the whole pro-bending financial problem, which led to Bolin briefly joining the Triple Threats again to get money in order for the Fire Ferrets to enter the championship tournament. Mako hadn't seen Bolin after the talk with Butakha the Greedy Bastard; worried, he came to the Avatar to ask her whether she and I had seen his brother. We said we didn't, and Korra offered him our help, finding some lead about Bolin's whereabout, heading to the Triple Threats' headquarters, only to find out that the earthbender was kidnapped, along with 'his' Triple Threats 'buddies', by the Equalists. Now I purposedly neglected not to mention our short encounter with those four motorcyclist chi-blockers, sparing her any detail about my outburst of violence. Next, I told her that we couldn't catch the entire gang because of the help of their fast vehicles combined with their tenacious effort to deter us ( I just whipped up some James Bond details about them Equalists possessing spy-like equipments, and my receptionist friend fascinatedly bought every word of that ). Seeing that we were unable to catch up with the baddies, Korra had an idea about how to find them, suggesting a stakeout near the place where she'd first encountered the Equalist protester, inside Republic City Park, to extract info from him, which earned a compliment from my dinner partner. The next morning, we interrogated the protester and made him squeal ( literally ), finding out about Amon's Revelation ( actually, it was Korra's earthbending catapulting the table in the air and spilling those leaflets everywhere, and Mako's ability to solve a map-puzzle, which helped us gain the info about where Bolin was held captive ) and the location of the event. At this moment, right as I finished my sentence, the meal arrived, and we decided to fill our stomach a little before continuing on with the tale. Two minutes later, I told Tanna about our infiltration into that factory where Amon's Revelation was going to take place, 'finding out' that the Equalist leader had the ability to take a person's bending away forever. My dinner partner's eyes went wide at the revelation ( huh? Huh? *Wink wink* ) and I feigned a grim nod.

"That's impossible!". Tanna half-shouted, clearing her throat and staying calm to lose others' attention on us. Then, she whispered fiercely. "That's impossible! I mean, I don't know much about bending, even though I saw Anyu waterbend at my would-be rapists long ago; but... bending is like around... forever! Now there's this crazy Amon guy coming along and saying that he'll rid the world of bending? What kind of madness is this?!".

 _The fucked-up kind, if I tell you about Agrigula and shit._

"Yeah, I know. It's pretty bad". I agreed with her.

Then, I continued the story, telling her of how we saved Bolin, battling the Equalists, minus the encounter with Agrigula and Hank Woodard, of course. When I finished, Tanna was confused.

"So... what were you and the Avatar fighting about, exactly?", she asked.

 _Oh shit! I forgot to make up some bullshit confict between me and Korra! Brain, I swear to the Ruinous Powers!_

"Oh. Erm... Uh...", I stammered.

And then the waiter came and delivered the desserts. _Saved by the desserts. Oh, thank you Khorne; thank you, Grandpa Nurgle; thank you, Tzeentch; thank you, Slaanesh! I owe you one- No, I owe you one, each!_ Being interrupted, Tanna lost her interest in the reason I and Korra fought, and we ate the desserts in total, awkward silence. After being done with the afters, the silence grew a bit longer 'til my receptionist friend spoke, breaking it:

"I get it. You finally had sex with her... without protection, didn't you?".

 _Wait, what?_ "Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa... Whoa! What the heck are you talking about? I didn't even have sex with her, much less... without protection!", I declared what she was implying untrue.

"No? Are you sure you didn't sleep with her... somewhere away from Mako? You know, just to have some... alone time?".

"What? No! Of course we didn't! Just because you rode me once doesn't mean I'm the adventurous, daring kind. Well, maybe I kinda am; but right when one of my friends was held captive and his brother was sleeping nearby? Now it's you who's crazy, woman! Good grief, I still want to keep my dignity intact, okay?".

"Okay, okay! Relax!". Tanna tried to calm me down. "Spirits, you sounded more upset than a woman whose betrothed is a no-good no-show during a wedding", she joked.

Upon hearing that, I chuckled, promptly causing her to do the same as well. And soon enough, we laughed, not out loud, but quite audibly, attracting the attention from the people sitting at a table not far away. After finishing laughing, we agreed that I would tell her about the fight late later. Finally, we paid for the meal and caught a tram back to the hotel; and during the whole process, we discussed about Amon and the Equalists, coming to the conclusion that things might get out of control soon if the Council didn't do anything more drastic than just declaring Amon "public enemy number one". _Hopefully Tenzin has a solution for the revolution. However, now that Agrigula is working with the Equalists, I have to find a way to break their alliance, separating them and either turning them against one another or picking them up one by one with the help of Esillith's sleeper agent. And talk about the Agent, where the hell is she? How the fuck do I contact her? Should have asked Esillith about that. Shoulda-coulda-woulda._

Inside the hotel, I thanked Tanna for the nice dinner and said goodnight to her, and returned to my room, having taken the key from Anyu, while Tanna and her friend talked, probably the former informing the latter about her finding of why I and Korra fought, and possibly about the Amon business as well. Once back in my room, I changed clothes, got into bed, thinking about the war ahead, a merciless war full of merciless deaths, and dozed off.

...

?'s p.o.v.

I had been waiting for Esillith in one of the small cottages for guests for approximately two hours and he didn't even arrived yet! _Unbelievable. If he was busy in whatever universe he is now, he should have just sent someone to deliver a message, saving me time from... getting bored to death here!_ I still couldn't believe he'd left me hanging in this stupid place even with the instruction in that letter I'd received two nights before. He was a brilliant leader, there was no doubt, but this tardiness was... was killing me! Quitting pacing back and forth, I sat down on a chair and tried to calm myself, closing my eyes. To tell you the truth, I was a very level-headed being, but when it came to people's, living beings', whatever, tardiness, the red in me just wanted to come out and destroy everything. Furthermore, I got vital information that could prove useful, for all realities' sake! It could turn the upcoming conflict here-

"In our favor? That depends on what kind of information you want to offer me. Anyway, I apologize for being late, the War still is not some guilty pleasure". A metallic voice cut off my thoughts.

Opening my eyes, turning towards the door, I saw Esillith in his human form, wearing that iron maiden mask of his again, standing there. _Finally!_

"I still don't like it when you read my, or any other's, thoughts without some permission, Father", I spoke, "anyhow, you bet it can. For I have proof to confirm your suspicion on Zulathulhu's method for the first assault on this world in the form of the Legion of War". I stood up, addressing my Creator. "Vargoth's got a replacement, and you have no idea who it was; well, of course you do, but I suggest you not to read my mind for the surprise".

"Who was it?", Father inquired simply.

"It's Helena, or Sonja if the Creature was only interested in the latter". I dropped the bombshell.

Esillith gave out a soft, metallic gasp, which was quite odd to hear. Credibly because he'd never done it before. After that, the cottage became extremely silent as my Creator was processing the first of the news I'd just given him, and as I intensely watched him do so. About five minutes later, he spoke:

"I need to see her".

I nodded, and let him link with my consciousness, searching for the memory of me seeing Helena/Sonja for the first time in this world. When he found it, he concentrated on watching it, being aghast at her newfound powers. Once he finished, he retreated from my mind, and be silent once more. Then, with a grim voice, he said:

"I see that she's 'inherited' Vargoth's powers now: The ability to disintegrate matters and teleportation. I just don't know about the other one".

"Some OP Rootmars's attack from Metal Slug 3, Father, don't you remember?". I reminded him.

"Ah" was all he uttered.

"But that's not the only problem. As you could see, she apparently has developed a fascinated/hated interest in the Avatar, to the greatest extent. It appears this is exactly what Zulathulhu wanted: A diversion for a death stroke aiming for Saudorn".

"No, not a death stroke. More like a trap. He doesn't want Saudorn to die a swift and painless death, remember?". It was the Great Being's turn to remind me.

 _Oh, right. I forgot about that._ Zulathulhu was one evil bastard, credibly even worse than Emperor Palpatine. The energy emitting from his hate alone could drive a sentient being mad or cause one to stop functioning mentally altogether. A wonder Saudorn had been able to survive not only one but countless encounters with that vile creature and his spawns, without ending up like a nutcase or a squash. _But the worst thing about Zulathulhu was the fact that he's sick in the mind also, thinking of all kinds of torture and torment to treat everything that moves and breathes horribly; and his favorite treatment is to turn loved ones against each other. In this case, Saudorn and Helena/Sonja._ Actually, it was Sonja who'd used Helena's body to turn against Saudorn first; that was the main 'inspiration' of the character Zulathulhu. Nonetheless, Sonja still loved Saudorn, in a morbid, twisted and destructive kind of way ( she'd 'helped' him both realize and live up to many of his dark, sexual fantasies, including embracing being a hebephile. And that led to that "car accident", which was NOT an accident. Truth is: The brother of a 14-year-old girl, who Saudorn'd seduced and had sex with, purposedly crashed his car against the pedestrian crossover-passing writer, paralyzing him from the waist down ). Yet his 'ultimate creation'? There was nothing existing in him but hatred. Even when conducting torture and torment, he still remained as hateful as ever. _So much hate..._

"So, now that we know what Zulathulhu's first step is, what do you reckon we do? Should I take out Helena/Sonja for good?", I asked Father excitedly.

"No, at least not yet", Esillith respondeed, "we still don't know if that resurrected _thing_ is 100% Helena or 100% Sonja. I say we need to keep an eye on her, and on the Avatar as well".

"What about Saudorn? Should he know about Hele-".

"Certainly not". The Great Being immediately silenced me. "His role is to stay by the Avatar's side and guide her through this whole conflict. He must NOT be distracted. Moreover, he's not really powerful and psychologically ready for such a revelation... yet. Therefore, your mission from now on is still to follow Korra's every footstep and make sure she's safe and sound when Saudorn's not with her. Meaning, you don't need to keep an eye on your 'brother' anymore. I think he can take care of himself, to some extent. Am I understood?", he added calmly.

I bowed slightly. "Yes, Father".

"Good. And one last thing. Do not reveal your _true_ power to everyone as yet. Only use it in case of emergency, or when the war breaks out here", he instructed, "but I think you can reveal yourself to your 'brother' as my agent if you want to".

"Of course, Father, I've never forgotten that; not since you reminded me for the umpteenth time the last time we talked, aaand including this time too". I smiled. "Also, thanks for allowing me to surprise Saudorn!".

That made Esillith chuckled aloud. He put his hands on my shoulders. "It's good that you're able to keep your sense of humor intact. I'm very proud of you". I thanked him again and we embraced each other. Then, he turned around and walked towards the door. At the threshold, he stopped, looking back at me. "Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo, Azara", he said in a firm voice ( "Light and Darkness 'til the end of time" )

"Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo, Father", I replied, the song Wings of Destiny by Mystic Prophecy playing in my mind.

And then my Father was gone.

 _Hey!_

 _The wind blows through the sky_

 _and I smell the blood of hate._

 _A last pray to my Gods_

 _When I hear the sound of blades._

 _Rage out - blood flows like the rain!_

 _Scream loud - My inner pain!_

 _Burn out - My soul in flames!_

 _Hellfire blood - Now will reign!_

 _For the crown...!_

 _Kill again in the battlefield of hell_

 _Hey!_

 _In the night when the kings are falling_

 _and the warriors fight for victory!_

 _In the night when the winds are howling_

 _Reborn - the wings of destiny!_

 _In the night when the kingdoms burning_

 _and the dead will write new history!_

 _In the night when the gates are falling_

 _Reborn - the wings of destiny!_

 _Wings of destiny..._

 _We march under the flag of death!_

 _For the force of evil - my last breath!_

 _Black scar in Heaven far away!_

 _The earth embraced in flames today!_

 _Fire crushes the sky!_

 _Dead again - Welcome back in hell!_

 _Hey!_

 _In the night when the kings are falling_

 _and the warriors fight for victory!_

 _In the night when the winds are howling_

 _Reborn - the wings of destiny!_

 _In the night when the kingdoms burning_

 _and the dead will write new history!_

 _In the night when the gates are falling_

 _Reborn - the wings of destiny!_

 _In the night when the kings are falling_

 _and the warriors fight for victory!_

 _In the night when the winds are howling_

 _Reborn - the wings of destiny!_

 _In the night when the kingdoms burning_

 _and the dead will write new history!_

 _In the night when the gates are falling_

 _Reborn - in another night - Reborn - the wings of destiny!_

 _Wings of destiny...!_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	13. Chapter 11

**Note: Another chapter delivered. This chapter contained mature subject matter, enjoy or don't enjoy. I don't own the song War by Poets of The Fall and Problems by Sex Pistols ( I know these two are not metal songs like I said I would put into every chapter, but they serve a purpose in this chapter, and I hope you see it once you read it ), Fear of The Moment by Destruction. I do not own the Legend of Korra too.**

 **Chapter XI - Fear of The Moment**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Do you remember standing on a broken field?

White crippled wings beating the sky.

The harbingers of war with their nature revealed.

And our chances flowing by.

If I can let the memory heal,

I will remember you with me on that field...

When I thought that I fought this war alone,

you were there by my side on the frontline.

When I thought that I fought without a cause,

you gave me a reason to try.

Turn the page, I need to see something new.

For now my innocence is torn.

We cannot linger on this stunted view.

Like rabid dogs of war.

I will let the memory heal.

I will remember you with me on that field...

When I thought that I fought this war alone,

you were there by my side on the frontline.

And we fought to believe the impossible.

When I thought that I fought this war alone,

we were one with our destinies entwined.

When I thought that I fought without a cause,

you gave me the reason why.

With no one wearing their real face.

It's a whiteout of emotions.

And I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall.

When the love in letters fade.

It's like moving in slow motion.

And we're already too late if we arrive at all.

And then we're caught up in the arms race.

An involuntary addiction.

And we're shedding every value our mothers taught.

So will you please show me your real face?

Draw the line in the horizon.

'Cause I only need your name to call the reasons why I fought!

When I thought that I fought this war alone,

you were there by my side on the frontline.

And we fought to believe the impossible.

When I thought that I fought this war alone,

we were one with our destinies entwined.

When I thought that I fought without a cause,

you gave me the reason why.

It was kinda strange to sing on the stage to only an audience of one all by myself. And that was no ordinary person, she was the Avatar. I didn't know how we'd resolved our problem, but here we were all the same, me singing Poets of The Fall's War to my girlfriend, gazing deep into her beautiful blue eyes as she looked back into mine just as intensely. She was so gorgeous, in her own way! Her awesome smile could brighten a darkened sky and her pretty lips could make a cold-souled man feel the burning, yearning love in his beating heart again. And her dark skin. Her attractive dark skin! So fair, so pleasing to the eyes! All of her distinct features made me forget about the negative side of her personality, the very things that infuriated me so!

That was when I realized one fact: I truly loved her. And for her, I would do anything. Anything! But... would she do the same for me? ( Lordi:"I would do it all for you. Would you do it all, do it all for me...?" ). Would she see past my imperfection and mistakes, and forgive me and love me back? She'd asked me ( actually given me a look that asked ) "How could you lie to me?" and I admit I had to; I mean, I couldn't just tell her I was not really someone from the World of Benders! I couldn't just tell her that instead of facing only Amon, she was going to face a monstrous legion from Hell from outside realities! She was only a 17-year-old girl... She'd be driven insane with this ugly truth. However, love must not be built upon lies and deceit. Or else, it would be lost for all eternity. And I didn't want to lose her. I didn't want to lose Korra, not to lies, and certainly not to the war ahead. What should I do? The truth would break her, and the lies was already crushing her. A slow, unenthusiastic clapping pulled me away from my thoughts; I looked at Korra and my heart ached to see her face void of emotions, a mask of coldness covering the beauty of her face. Her eyes, her expression, they contained no soul. Not anymore. Suddenly, she turned around and walked away, prompting me to shout:

"Korra, wait! Don't go!".

But she kept on walking, no looking back.

"Don't go!". I tried to use my powers to form a wall to block her path, like I'd done back outside the arena, yet nothing happened. No, it can't be!

The bright sky turned dark and gloomy now.

"Korra, please!". I intended to run after her; however, I felt hideous hands and claws grab hold of me, keeping me in place.

Then, Agrigula walked out from backstage and ordered his spawns to chase after the Avatar, wildly and inhumanly whooping and cackling with murderous glee. In fear of losing Korra to my enemies, I cried out her name, panicking. Nonetheless, it all was in vain. From afar, I saw they approach her, and a gut-wrenching scream pierced my soul.

"Look at what you've done, Father", Agrigula whispered in my ear, "why did you lie to her? Why? You could have warned her. And together, you could have had a little hope fighting me. But now, you have NOTHING. And it's your fear of the moment".

Suddenly, the song Fear of The Moment by Destruction filled the air, from out of nowhere.

I am ready to die, the world won't miss me!

You wanna know why?

Humanity is out of control!

Why should I stay and play my lousy role?

I can't stand the pain!

The script is written!

Don't wanna remain!

Now the time is right!

Won't be too difficult

to give up the last fight!

Fear of the moment!

My world is a maze with a dead end!

Fear of the moment!

The will to live is hard to defend!

Fear of the moment!

My world is a maze with a dead end!

Fear of the moment!

The will to live is hard to defend!

If I passed away, would they ever miss me?

Maybe just for one day!

If I had real friends,

the dead end would make no fucking sense!

Fear of the moment!

My world is a maze with a dead end!

Fear of the moment!

The will to live is hard to defend!

Fear of the moment!

My world is a maze with a dead end!

Fear of the moment!

The will to live is hard to defend!

This pain is shredding! Rewind!

The sense of a free mind!

I, I feel the season is right!

To attract attention and stop the fight!

Why? You wanna know why?

My time isn't up, I'm not ready to die!

Fear of the moment!

My world is a maze with a dead end!

Fear of the moment!

The will to live is hard to defend!

Fear of the moment!

My world is a maze with a dead end!

Fear of the moment!

The will to live is hard to defend!

With that, he decapitated me, my head falling and rolling from the stage down onto the ground, my eyes still could see; and all I saw was my beloved Korra, dead, eyes staring into nothingness, my ears kept hearing the words "you have failed her" all over and over again, echoing louder and louder, tears streaming down my cheeks. Next, everything faded to black, me falling into oblivion, only to be pulled back to consciousness, to waking up a short moment later. I turned my head towards the clock on the nightstand, it was 4:05 in the afternoon. I sniffed. I'd been crying in my sleep. Miserably, I sat up and covered my face with my hands, exhaling loudly. After a while, I got off the bed and got in the bathroom to make myself look less miserable. Korra, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you. I should've told you the truth and be there for you right from the beginning. I don't deserve to be forgiven, I don't deserve to have you... But you don't deserve to die! I won't let you! Looking up from the washbasin, into the mirror, having brushed my teeth, had a shower and washed my face, I gazed into my reflection and spoke firmly to myself:

"She will hate you for telling the truth, but let her. Like Esillith said, your job is to be on her side, not to fear that she will not love you anymore. She's the Avatar, first and foremost, so deal with it!".

Having made up my mind, I got out of the bathroom and changed and exited the room, locking the door, going down to the ground floor to give Tanna the key and telling her I was gonna go to Air Temple Island and work it out with Korra, catching the tram and the ferry to the Island and looking for the Avatar, freezing the White Lotus guards' limbs who had been instructed by Korra not to let me in the temple if I ever came here. After asking around, I found out that she was in Tenzin's family's dining room and was headed there. Once I approached the room, I heard some conversation going on inside.

"... It is truly an honor. I am Councilman Tarrlok, representative from the Northern Water Tribe". A voice sounded, unfamiliar. Councilman Tarrlok, huh? What the hell is Tenzin's fellow councilperson doing in his home?

"Nice to meet you". Another voice responded. It was Korra's.

Upon hearing her voice again, I felt warm with love. Nevertheless, I had an explanation to give the Avatar, plus she'd made the White Lotus guards forbid me from entering the temple, so I didn't expect her to be nice and loving back at this moment.

"Why do you have three ponytails?". Ikki? "And how come you smell like a lady. You're weird". Huh, now that I notice, there was a thick smell of perfume lingering in the air right when I entered the building. And one thing movies have taught me, if you talk to or are in the presence of someone wearing thick perfume, you know that that person's too good to be true. Anyway, gotta love Ikki's innocence!

"Well, aren't you... precocious?". Tarrlok directed Ikki briefly. That's the silliest form of sarcasm I ever heard. "So, I've been reading all about your adventures in the papers". The voice appeared to direct Korra now. Creepy fucker, you read everything available in the papers about a 17-year-old Avatar? Get the fuck outta here. "Infiltrate Amon's rally, now that took some real initiative". And he's an ass-kisser too, sweet!

"Oh, thanks". Seriously, Korra? "I think you're the first authority figure in the city who's happy I'm here". I facepalmed.

"Republic City is much better off now that you've arrived". This is why I hate politicians, minus Tenzin; because, unlike Tarrlok, Tenzin has a real responsibility: The voice of reason in this city.

"Enough with the flattery, Tarrlok", Tenzin spoke in an irritated and protective tone, "what do you want from Korra?". I knew Tenzin's wary of this ass-kissing schmuck!

"Patience, Tenzin. I'm getting to that". Or getting your ass kicked 101. "As you may have heard, I am assembling a task force that will strike at the heart of the revolution". Good luck with that, Perfumeface, when you encounter an army of eldritch freaks; or may I say... an army of your relatives, freak. "And I want to join me". Hell fuckin' no!

"Really?". Korra sounded surprised. No, Korra, no. No, no, no, no, no.

Tenzin was astounded. "What?!".

"I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly, someone who is fearless". Someone who is your puppet. Hey, that rhymes! "In the face of danger. And that someone is you".

"Join your task force? I can't". Yes! Yes! Attagirl!

"I must admit, I'm rather surprised". Tarrlok spoke, after few seconds of silence. In your face, bitch! "I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon".

"I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin. Right now, I just need to focus on that". Yes, you do. Yes, you do, sweetheart.

"Which is why this opportunity is perfect". To sacrifice for you? Go do that yourself, scumbag. "You would get on the job experience while performing your Avatar duty for the city". Yeah, tell that to a rookie soldier who's new to the battlefield, asshole. Who's gonna keep an eye on him/her? Who's gonna make sure that he/she won't be sniped right between the eyes or blown up to pieces by rockets or grenades? Who's gonna make sure he/she will return home in one piece and soul intact? You? Bullshit.

Tenzin was annoyed. "Korra gave you her answer. It's time for you to go", he announced. It's GTFO time, Tar(r)log!

"Very well. But, I'm not giving up on you just yet. You'll be hearing from me soon, Avatar Korra".

Quickly, I nimbly moved far away from the door, feigning just arriving here, hearing Ikki say:"Bye-bye, ponytail man!". I watched as the door was opened and closed, approaching Tarrlok, purposedly shouldering him quite hard.

"Hey, watch it", I scolded Tarrlok in a threatening voice.

The Councilfag turned to me, intending to scowl at me, when he saw that I was as tall as him, only the difference between us was the fact that I looked like a bouncer. Pale, taken by surprise, he swiftly mumbled an apology and hauled ass. Fuckin' weasel. Once Tarrlok was gone, I knocked on the door and waited. Four seconds later, the door was opened, by Jinora. Upon seeing me, the girl ran back to her pillow-seat, picked it up and rapidly moved to sit next to her mother. Chuckling lightly, I entered the room, greeting everybody:

"Tenzin, Pema, Jinora". Tenzin's eldest looked away from me, embarrassed. "Ikk-".

"How in damnation did you get past the guards?". Korra interrupted me, shocked.

"What are you talking about, Korra?". Tenzin was puzzled. "I don't remember telling the guards not to let Saudorn in".

"Nothing. Just a precaution", Korra replied. "Now what do you want?", she inquired me annoyedly.

"I want to talk, Korra", I responded patiently, "but I'm also here for the food because... I didn't eat anything for a whole day. Yet, don't you worry, it's just a sleep thing". I smiled and came towards Korra, sitting next to her on the right, causing her to look away, huffing in irritation.

"Well, I certainly didn't like it when Tarrlok was here", Pema spoke, smiling warmly, "but you are definitely welcome here". She, then, gave me a dining cup and a pair of chopsticks. "Here you are, make yourself at home", she added. Good thing I used to go to Chinese restaurants to eat several times before 'Earth No More', so I know how to used chopsticks.

Before I could even take some food and put them in the cup, Korra looked at Pema in astonishment and spoke aloud:

"Pema, I can't believe this! I told you what he is and I thought you understood that he's not welcome here!".

"Korra, mind your manner. You were talking to my wife, and I'm still here", Tenzin addressed the Avatar, using his authoritative voice. Then, he turned to me. "What is the meaning of this, Sau-".

"I knew I should have told you last night already!". Korra temperamentally stood up. So she didn't tell Tenzin yet. Next, she glared at me. "You wanted to explain things? Explain them to Tenzin!".

With that, she angrily stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut after her. Needless to say, Tenzin was confused, not knowing what to say. I looked to Pema questioningly, as if asking:"Told you what I am?". Sighing, Pema spoke to the kids:

"It's time to go, children. Daddy and Saudorn have got something to talk to each other".

Not surprisingly, all three of them silently obayed their mother and followed her out of the room, letting her close the door for both of Tenzin's and my privacy. Afterwards, the councilman inquired me:

"What was Korra talking about, exactly? I need an explanation, now".

Sighing heavily, I said:"There's something you need to know, Tenzin. I was meant to tell Korra when the time was right, but apparently the time was never right". I halted, taking a deep breath. "I am not really a common person", exhaling aloud, I confessed.

"What?! What does that even mean?". Tenzin was confused tenfold.

"I-I am not a nonbender. But I am not a bender either. As a matter of fact, I'm not even from around here".

"You are not making any sense". The councilman shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm from another reality, Tenzin; but Korra didn't know that yet. She mistook my powers for bending, when in fact, they're not", I responded calmly.

And before Tenzin could speak, I told him everything right from the beginning; from my life as a writer to the moment when I'd been forced to watch the world ( Earth ) burn from Zulathulhu's Flesh Fortress, to my training in Esillith's pocket universe, to my encounter with Agrigula and Hank Woodard in this reality. After I finished the tale, Tenzin looked like he'd just heard a story about his father's ( Avatar Aang ) sex life, which normally I'd find it hilarious. Nonetheless, what I'd just told Tenzin was no laughing matter; it was the story of my life, and a serious one at that. To make sure Tenzin understand the information I'd spilled to the greatest extent, I requested him:

"I have something to show you, Tenzin. I need you to relax and let me enter your mind. Be warned, though, it's not some stuff for old people, even though you're not that old".

"You... can do that?". Tenzin was astounded.

"Yes, I can. Now, please, just do what I requested of you. I need you to understand".

Nodding, the councilman closed his eyes and concentrated; so did I, linking my consciousness to his, sending him copies of my memory images about my world before, about the slaughter and destruction, about what I'd created and about those words Zulathulhu had whispered in my ear near the end of the Invasion. All the pain, loss and suffering that Mother Earth had endured, and all the agony and angst I was subjected to my enemies' vindictive intent. All those Hellscapes I consigned to Tenzin's mind, like viruses and malwares breaking loose from one computer to another via an invisible USB, hellbent on destroying and corrupting the new psychological paradise. I could sense fear and horror plague Tenzin's inner core, having never witnessed anything like these memories in his life. Even the Hundred Year War paled in comparison. Because this was not a war, but a plague, an outbreak of evil, expanding ever-so-aggressively like cancer cells into many realities, all at once. This was an inevitable storm which you couldn't hide, only braced for impact. A crusade of atrocity and maliciousness.

E-enough! Please, get out of my head! Tenzin shouted in his mind, extremely shocked and disturbed.

I complied and retreated from Korra's mentor's consciousness, opening my eyes, seeing Tenzin staring intensely at the wall opposite him, breathing heavily, trying to digress the information, too much information, he'd just gotten. After a while, he looked at me, still appalled, and said:

"So... So... You're telling me... that this world, my world, is in a far greater danger than Amon?".

"Yes sir, and it's worse than I first thought, for now one of my enemies is working with Amon at this mome- Whoa!".

Before I could finish what I was saying, Tenzin lifted me in the air using his airbending, furious.

"And you created them. You are responsible for this mess. Because of you, this world will not witness the eradication of bending, but the annihilation of itself!", the councilman spoke with such a tone that sounded so strange, coming from him, accusing me, "tell me you are not that bold-faced, not that oblivious, arriving here to watch everything burn! Tell me you didn't befriend Korra out of some sick, twisted fantasy, while you're having a death wish! Because I swear to all the Spirits I will crush you if that is your true intention!".

And for a moment, I considered telling him what his anger wanted to hear, wishing him to end my life right there, right then. Only death can pay for what I've done. All of a sudden, a voice sounded inside my head, my own voice:

Don't be a coward, Saudorn. Did you forget what you told yourself back in the hotel? That your job is to be on her side? That she doesn't deserve to die? If you die, she dies. You are her only hope. You are this world's only hope. Stand up and face the Slayer! Kick asses or get your ass kicked! No 'lay down and die'! You hear me? Thrash 'til death, remember?

"First of all, I truly love Korra, so I don't have a sick, twisted fantasy involving her. Okay, maybe I do, but it's not sick, not twisted; you have to trust me. Second of all, I'm here not to watch this world burn; I'm here to save it, to fix my mistakes. Finally, you're right, I'm responsible for this mess, and that's why I'm here, not hiding somewhere or wishing for a quick death". Surprisingly, I level-headedly spoke to Tenzin. "Also, Tenzin, you are the voice of reason in this city, so you and I both know that killing me can't solve anything, only helping our enemies achieve what they've come here for: Finding an easy meal. No, we can't afford that. This world will not die; and if it will, it's going to die fighting 'til the bitter end. At least, that way, I won't be regreting ever existing at all. It's all up to you, Tenzin".

After finishing my little speech, I sensed the cloud of anger inside Tenzin's mind vanish, and calmness returned to his face once more. Sighing, the man put me back down on the floor, standing. Next, he spoke, straight to the point:

"I need three promises from you. One, if you really love Korra, you tell her everything you told me except the mind intrusion stuff. She doesn't need that right now". Too late, Tenzin, I already intruded her mind many times, including helping her win her debut pro-bending match. "Two, from now on, you will report to me directly whatever happens in Republic City involving the activities of the invasion force. Three, you will NOT be her boyfriend until the war is over. Do you promise me?".

"What? Not be her boyfriend until the war is over? You can't be serious! Do you realize how long will that be? It could be from two to three years!". I was dismayed at Tenzin's final condition.

"Oh, right. Well, then... Three, you will NOT think about, dream about and desire about getting in her pants; NOT even when she wants you to. Do you promise me?".

I just can't fuckin' believe this. But it beats not being Korra's boyfriend for three years. I guess...

"I promise, I promise, and I promise", I replied after putting some thinking on the last condition.

"Good. You may eat now, or you can go find and talk to Korra, if you want. I, however, have to find my family and get them back here to finish dinner". Giving me a polite nod, Tenzin exited the room.

 _Two choices. It all comes down to two choices. And either way, I'm not going to solve two problems at the same time: An empty stomach and Korra. Maybe I should be a bit creative here._ Smiling, I gathered an empty tray and put the Avatar's and my cup and chopsticks and an empty medium-sized dish on the tray, picking up different kinds of food onto the dish. Next, I search for Korra's whereabout on the island with my powers, discovering that she was in her room. After that, I lifted the tray up and stood up, creating two life-size sculptures of me and my girlfriend from dead microorganisms so as not to let my 'works of art'... wander away, using them as a message for Tenzin to let him know of my whereabout. _Hopefully these don't scare the crap out of the man and his family or anybody else._ Then, I exited the room and was headed towards Women's Dormitory.

Once I was outside the room, I gently knocked on the door and immediately got a response.

"If you are either Tenzin or Saudorn, or both, just go away", Korra spoke from inside her room.

"We need to talk, Korra, right now", I collectively replied.

"No".

"I brought you food, right here", I persuaded her, " I know you didn't eat yet, and so didn't I. So... I figure we'll just talk over dinner".

Korra didn't say anything.

"Come on, Korra, if you don't wanna talk, at least eat, okay?". I insisted. "How about you open the door and get a cup, then? I'll eat out here. When you're done, put the cup on the tray and I'll be on my way. Does that work for you?".

Silent still. Then, the door was slid open and a swollen-eyed Avatar glared at me. _Oh, Korra._ I moved to touch her cheek but she swatted my hand away.

"Don't touch me", she spoke curtly, quickly taking the cup, filling it with food and slammed the door shut on my face.

 _Well, at least she decided to eat._ I mentally shrugged and sat down, cross-legged, and proceeded to eat. For a full period of fifteen minutes, there was just silence as, probably, the both of us ate, 'til I finished my cup. Next, I waited for Korra to come out. Shortly after, the door was opened, and the young Avatar wordlessly put her empty cup back on the tray and... lingered on, her expression softened somewhat. I looked up at her, slowly standing up, both of us maintaining eye contact. _She's going to change her mind. She'll want to talk with you. She knows you lov-_

"Goodnight, Saudorn" was all that she gave me.

Finally, she closed the door, leaving me all alone outside. Sighing heavily, I stooped down to pick up the tray and got back to Tenzin's family's dining room. _Gotta be more patient, man. Gotta be more patient._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

Still leaning against the door, I waited 'til Saudorn was gone. When I was sure he did, I slid down onto the floor and cried again, in silence. _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Saudorn. I just can't-_ I still couldn't believe he was a bender after all this time. Why had he lied to me? And why didn't I allow him to explain things? He certainly had told Tenzin about everything, I could tell. Maybe I'd rather listen to Saudorn's explanation through Tenzin? Maybe I was afraid he'd hurt me with more lies? I hated lies ( and still do ), but I also still loved him. I missed his kisses... _The explanation... Per-perhaps I'll ask him tomorrow, I don't need Tenzin for that. If he comes back at all after being disappointed that I just said goodnight to him._

Sniffing loudly, I wiped the tears on my cheeks and went to bed, trying to breathe calmly and awaiting sleep. A short time later, or an eternity later, I didn't know, sleep came to me.

The next morning, there was nothing much to do. After the breakfast, I asked Tenzin whether Saudorn had chosen to stay here 'til late at night to see if I would leave my room or not; and my mentor told me that he hadn't. He left straight away after talking a bit with Tenzin and Pema. I felt so guilty then. _I should have talked with him and worked things out between us yesterday._ Tenzin asked me if everything was okay between me and Saudorn despite already knowing the answer, showing that he cared about me, as a mentor. I replied, saying that even though we didn't have a fight the night before, I felt that I had disappointed him by refusing to talk with him further. Tenzin smiled gently and told me that he was not disappointed. He just decided to be more patient with me. _Really? Saudorn wanted to be more patient with me? Oh Spirits, that's wonderful!_ Upon hearing this, I felt hopeful. Maybe we could fix this after all.

But even with my spirit being lifted a bit, my mind was still plagued by the recent event: The Equalists, Amon, and... Saudorn's enemies. Therefore, I didn't have anything to do but sat on the top of a bunch of stonesteps and was rubbing Naga's chest, who was lying next to me, when I saw Bolin approaching me.

"Hello, fellow teammate!", he said cheerfully.

"Hey, Bolin", I replied.

"Missed you at practice for quite some time", he commented.

"Yeah, sorry about that".

"Nah, that's alright. We're probably out of the tournament anyway, unless some money miraculously drops out of the sky by tomorrow. Anyhow, the reason I came by was to give you this". He held out a cupcake and a rose. _Oh._ "Ta-da!".

I took Bolin's gifts. "Wow, thanks. What's this for?".

Bolin rubbed his chin. "Uh, oh I can't remember now. Oh yeah, now I remember. You saved me from Amon!". Actually, it was your brother and Saudorn who did that, I just created some distraction. That, and fighting with my boyfriend's enemies. "Oh, that?". I shrugged. "It was no big deal".

"No big deal, are you serious? I was totally freaking out when he was coming at me with his creepy mask all, "I will take away your bending forever" ". Bolin tried to replicate Amon while I looked at him, worried. "I mean that is... scary stuff, I still can't sleep well".

"Mhmm" was my simple reply to that. _I hate facing multiple problems, like Amon and Saudorn's enemies. Perhaps now I can tolerate his lie about being a nonbender, but I can't ignore the threat Amon and those monsters pose to Republic City, and perhaps, to the worl-_

"Delivery for Avatar Korra". A middle-aged man who wore spectacles approached, carrying a big basket of items surrounded by flowers and set them next to me. "Tarrlok sends his compliments and urges you to reconsider his offer". _Really? This guy is insistent._

"Tell him I haven't change my mind", I responded shortly.

"Mhmm...". The man bowed and walked away.

"Who's this Tarrlok guy? Is he bothering you? Huh, 'cause I could have a word with him", Bolin inquired me while punching his fist into his other hand.

I was amused by what Bolin'd said. _Bolin, my bodyguard? Sounds sweet._ But come to think about it, Saudorn was more intimidating, that's for sure. His size was... quite impressive. I mentally blushed when a piece of memory flashed before my eyes: Me stealing glances at Saudorn's broad chest when his scar acted up again, as he'd said. _Ugh, why was I such a fool, jeopardizing our relationship by being stubborn? He's big, he's sexy, he's smart, he's good, really good at kissing. And driving him away is the biggest sin in existence, ever! And-and, anyway, why am I comparing him and Bolin? That's weird._ "Heh, no, it's not like that. He's just some old guy who works with Tenzin on the council", I let Bolin know. _Yeah, Saudorn is just some old guy- No, I meant Tarrlok! Argh!_

"Oh, good. Good, that sounds better". Bolin smiled. "And talk about 'better', I know it's not, really, but... how're things between you and Saudorn?".

 _Well, here we go._ "Uhm... There's nothing, or maybe a little something, between us just yet, I guess". I shrugged again.

"I still can't believe he's a bender. And his form of bending is really strange. Think that's why he lies?".

 _Now there's that... Right, his bending looked kinda weird. It seemed like earthbending, but it was not. And how did he create that black smoke? Maybe it's his bending that caused him to lie? Of course! Because it didn't look normal at all! Like Tenzin's brother, Bumi, once told me one of his 'great' tales about sandbenders. Please, Spirits, please let it be that simple! He's more patient with me already. That, plus the truth about his bending, equals peace between us for good! But what about his enemies? Did he lie to me about his enemies simply because he didn't want me to fight his fight? How is it possible when they appeared to work for or with Amon? More questions! It's not simple at all, this Saudorn thing, is it, Spirits? Well, guess I definitely have to ask hi-_

"You all right, Korra?". Bolin's concerned question pulled me out of my stream of thoughts. "You looked like you were thinking really hard. Is it that bad?".

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just figured out something is all", I replied. "And it appears it's not that bad at all". I added a little lie.

Next, Bolin and I chatted about other things 'til noon, then Bolin said he had to go back to the arena. We said goodbye and I watched Bolin walk off, wishing Saudorn was here soon. Seeing there was nothing else to do, I decided to practice airbending stances in the open training area. However, merely ten minutes into practicing, I was interrupted by that middle-aged man again! The gift from Tarrlok this time was a luxurious automobile wrapped in a ribbon. _This guy is getting really irritating._ Needless to say, I refused the gift once again and continued my practice, when Tenzin's voice caused me to halt a bit.

"I see that Tarrlok's gifts are getting more and more extravagant".

I sighed. "Yeah, that guy doesn't know how to take 'no' for an answer".

"Korra, are you... doing all right?", Tenzin asked me, worried.

"I'm fine". I stopped my training altogether.

Tenzin took a seat on one of the steps leading to the training platform and pointed to the spot next to him, indicating me to sit there.

"Why don't you take a break?". I walked towards Tenzin and took a seat. "Maybe go meet Saudorn and talk to him. Also, I'm glad you turned down Tarrlok, but I just want to make sure your decision was for the right reason", my mentor spoke.

"I'm just really focused on my airbending right now is all", I responded.

Tenzin mused over my answer. "Right, that's what you said. You know, it's okay to be scared. The whole city is frightened by what's been going on. The important thing is to talk about our fears because if we don't, they can throw us out of balance".

I looked away, slightly sad. No matter how hard I denied it, he was right. I was scared, and confused, and anxious. _I need Saudorn right now. Spirits, how I miss him. I can tell him everything. I know I still trust him, now that my anger is gone._ After a short while, Tenzin stood up.

"I'm always here for you, if you still don't want to talk to-".

"To who?". A voice cut Tenzin's sentence off.

I recognized that voice. It was Saudorn's!

Immediately, I stood up, ran towards him, standing a bit far away from behind me and Tenzin, and hugged him tightly, happy to see him, and happier to feel him return my hug.

"To no one. I have got to go, you two have a good time... talking", Tenzin said, walking away".

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

The day before, after I'd left the Island, apologizing to the White Lotus guards on the way out, I returned to the hotel, ignoring Anyu's question about how the day'd gone, feeling tired, simply asking for my room key, and got to my room. Next, I just fell onto the bed and slept, with my 'going-out' clothes still on me. This morning, after waking up, I went down to Razu's restaurant and had breakfast, having ignored Tanna too. I just didn't want to talk to anyone at that moment. When I was back to my room, I locked the door and amused myself with some microorganism manipulating, creating a mini version of the Solar system, then the Milky Way, then only the Sun, as big as a wrecking ball ( not related to that whore's stupid song, okay? ), then Earth, then the hellish scenes of slaughter and destruction, then Zulathulhu himself, then... a green, little and cute Cthulhu. _Huh._ ( Professor Remus Lupin:"Riddikulus!" ). Chuckling aloud to myself, I felt all my grumpiness disappear and continued to 'explore' my creativity, playing with my manipulation.

Once I was done with it, it was almost late in the afternoon ( 3:31 p.m. to be exact ). _Hey, I can definitely kill time with this!_ Seeing that it was nearly two hours away from nightfall, I showered and changed, left the hotel and here I was, on Air Temple Island, being hugged hard by the Avatar. Before I could say anything, she stopped me with a kiss, a very intoxicating kiss. After a while, we parted our lips, breathing hard , all flushed.

"Wow, what was that all about?". I wondered aloud.

"I just miss you is all", Korra replied, "or didn't you like it?".

"Of course, I liked it!". I laughed. "It's just that I was surprised you wanted to kiss me at all after slamming that door on my face last night".

The Avatar was embarrassed now. "Oh. Sorry about that. It was my anger doing that, but... I'm sorry".

"It's alright. I know you didn't mean it". I put my hands on her shoulders. "Anyway, about the explanation... Uhm... You see, despite you thinking I'm a bender, I'm actually n-".

"Avatar Korra! I have something for you". A male voice interrupted my revelation. _For the love of-_

I turned around and saw a middle-aged, bespectacled man standing there. Annoyed, Korra earthbent him around 180 degrees and sent him off by kicking him in the back.

"It doesn't matter how many gifts Tarrlok sends". _'How many gifts Tarrlok sends'? He sent Korra gifts while I was away? So, that car... Son of a bitch._ "I am not joining his task force".

"It's not a gift, it's an invitation", the man explained.

Korra and I were both surprised. "To what?", we asked in unison, then halted, embarrassed.

"Tarrlok is throwing a gala in your honor". _Oh, the ass-kissing swine._ "All of Republic City's movers and shakers will be there. The councilman humbly requests your attendance". _Humbly my ass._

Korra frowned at the paper she'd snatched from the man's hand. As the guy walked away, I immediately told Korra:

"I don't like it. You shouldn't go there".

"B-but Tarrlok is throwing a party for me", the Avatar stammered.

"No, Korra, from what I heard yesterday, Tarrlok is not the kind of guy you should trust".

Korra looked confused. "From what you heard? What does that mean?".

 _Oh fuck. I forgot about the eaves-dropping part!_ "Well, I was, uh... I was outside the dining room while you were talking to Tarrlok". I confessed.

"You what!? You eavesdropped on me? I can't believe this! Why did you have to do that?". The Avatar was angry.

"I arrived just as the conversation was going on", I explained to her. _This is not the explanation I had in mind!_

"Still, you should have just walked in. I would have appreciated you disrupting Tarrlok", the Avatar replied sullenly.

"Would you?". I raised an eyebrow.

Realizing what she'd just said, Korra hastily changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm going to Tarrlok's party tonight".

"Korra-". I intended to reason with her.

"I have made up my mind, Saudorn. Accompany me or don't, your choice". She quickly cut me off. _Great. Now she'd mad at me again._

With that said, she walked away, making me sigh heavily. _Guess I have to be there for her, no matter where she goes. Goddamn it. This is beginning to sound like Sex Pistols's Problems, and I don't fuckin' appreciate it._

 _Too many problems._

 _Oh why am I here?_

 _I need to be me._

 _'Cuz you're all too clear._

 _And I can see,_

 _there's something wrong with you._

 _But what do you expect me to do?_

 _At least I gotta know what I wanna be._

 _Don't come to me if you need pity._

 _Are you lonely? You got no one!_

 _You get your body in suspension._

 _That's no problem, problem!_

 _Problem! The problem is you!_

 _Eat your heart out on a plastic tray!_

 _You don't do what you want,_

 _then you'll fade away._

 _You won't find me working_

 _nine to five!_

 _It's too much fun of being alive._

 _I'm using my feet for my human machine._

 _You won't find me living for the screen!_

 _Are you lonely? All your needs catered._

 _You got your brain dehydrated._

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem! The problem is you!_

 _What you gonna do?_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem! The problem is you!_

 _What you gonna do with your problem?_

 _The problem is you!_

 _Problem!_

 _I ain't equipment, I ain't automatic!_

 _You won't find me just staying static!_

 _Don't you give me any order!_

 _For people like me,_

 _there is no order!_

 _Bet you thought you had it all worked out!_

 _Bet you thought you knew what I was about!_

 _Bet you thought you'd solved all your problems!_

 _But you are the problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem! The problem is you!_

 _What you gonna do with your problem?_

 _I'll leave it to you._

 _Problem! The problem is you!_

 _You got a problem!_

 _What you gonna do?_

 _They know a doctor._

 _Gonna take you away!_

 _They take you away_

 _and throw away the key!_

 _They don't want you_

 _and they don't want me._

 _You got a problem!_

 _The problem is you!_

 _Problem! What you gonna do?_

 _Problem! I'll leave it back! I have a_

 _Problem! You got a problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem!_

 _Problem, problem!_

 _Problem!_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	14. Chapter 12

**Note: This chapter contained pretty extreme sadistic torture scene and coarse language, reader discretion advised. I don't own the songs Tormentor by Slayer, Tormentor by Destruction, Tormentor by Kreator and Epitome of Torture by Sodom. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XII - Tormentor**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Later that night, Tenzin's family, Korra and I arrived at Republic City Hall, with two huge banners with the picture of my girlfriend on them. _I hate this Tarrlok guy._ Shortly after, we all went inside the building; all, except me, dressed in gala clothing, while I was still wearing the outfit that I'd changed this morning: A red, fit T-shirt with Iron Maiden's Fear of The Dark cover artwork at the front of it and Mystic Prophecy's Ravenlord on the back, another pair of fairly fit jeans with Sabaton's Coat of Arms as its pattern, and a pair of black boots with Slayer's logo on them. I looked badass, as usual, even though Tenzin and Jinora were somewhat uncomfortable. However, Pema was slightly amazed at my choice of clothing, and both Ikki and Meelo were in awe at my presence, especially Tenzin's son, who kept pulling at the fabric of my shirt and jeans, testing them. Korra, on the other hand, was very displeased at my insistence of not wearing a formal outfit. Well, what can I say? I never liked galas, not once. Also, I hated rich people ( and still do ), who treated people like me like shit ( yeah, you got that right, rich people don't like metalheads. And I mean _metalheads_ not rockers, okay? To be even more of a bunch of douchebags, they make sure that struggling writers like me won't have peaceful times as well, unlike them young, bachelor, best-selling authors, who are like fuckin' movie celebrities ).

The kids ran off as the other attendants started clapping, noticing Korra walking in. I also got noticed too, first by some fat-pocketed assholes eyeing me with distaste, then by some well-to-do women and girls there, who scrutinized me either with distaste as well, or with a hungry look. _Yeah, sure, rich bitches always like young, middle-class studs, no matter who they are and what they do for a living. They think they can control them via the power of boner. But truth is, the bulges control them. Yep, they can't possess a satisfying life 'til they have at least one big, fat cock in their mouth several times a day. So to all of you sharp-dressing fuckers, prostitutes are not the only kind of whores in the world, but also females like your wife and daughter, or daughters._ So, with this thought, I just ignored all these moneyed sluts altogether. Pema started wandering off and socializing with the people. The Avatar looked stunned, standing next to Tenzin and me.

"I can't believe this is all for me", Korra commented.

"Don't believe in any of this, Korra. Luxury is nothing more than a façade to mask dishonesty", I spoke, earning a nod of approval from Tenzin, also earning a glare from my Avatar girlfriend.

"Saudorn is right, Korra. I'm not sure what Tarrlok's plotting, but keep your guard up. It's not like him to throw a party just for the fun of it".

Right when Tenzin finished his sentence, Tarrlok walked towards the three of us, making overdone gestures. _Talk of the Devil and the Devil fuckin' appears. Can't believe I'm saying this as a metalhead. The stuff happening only at South of Heaven_ ( Slayer:"On and on, South of Heaven!" ).

"So glad you could make it, Avatar Korra". He halted when he noticed me standing next to the Avatar, kind of hesitating, clearly intimidated by both my size and my choice of outfit.

"I didn't know you are a friend of the Avatar. My name is Tarrlok and you are-", he addressed me, extending his hand.

"I know who you are, Councilman Tarrlok. And my name is Saudorn, S-A-U-D-O-R-N, you remember it. Because I'm Korra's Guardian, and if you intend to have some shady business with her, I'll know". I shook Tarrlok's hand, giving it a hard grip, while addressing him back, aware of Korra's look of shock.

"Well, it's... very nice to meet you, Mr. Saudorn". Tarrlok rubbed his hand firmly, a ghost of a displeased expression appearing on his face. "If you'd excuse us, the city awaits its hero", the councilfag spoke to both Tenzin and me, walking off with Korra.

"Thank you for looking out for Korra, even though your method was a bit... aggressive", Tenzin whispered to me.

"My apology, Tenzin, but I just can't stand men like Tarrlok. They are the parasites that are hellbent on sucking the life force outta society", I replied truthfully.

"I know, but all the sam-". Tenzin was saying, when he saw Meelo... preparing to pee! "Meelo! No, that's not a toilet! Oh dear. Anyway, Saudorn, you keep an eye on Korra very closely, alright?". Not waiting for me to answer, Tenzin walked towards Meelo in shame.

 _Yeah, sure, keep an eye on Korra, no problemo._ I followed the Avatar and Tarrlok and caught up with them, staying a bit far behind them. From ahead, Tarrlok introduced Korra to another bespectacled, middle-aged man with a slight beer belly in extravagant suit. After a short period of talking, the trio were joined by another trio, younger and livelier, it was Mako and Bolin in expensive suits, who looked kinda strange with them on, especially Bolin, and an attractive, whitish-complexioned girl with black, shoulder-length hair. _Time to join in._

Once I approached the group, Bolin was the one spotting me, greeting me aloud, earning a scold from his brother.

"Oh, hey, Saudorn! Nice to see you here. And, wow, great outfit! Uh... I guess". Bolin slapped my shoulder. "I see that Tarrlok invited you too".

"Actually I just come along with Korra and Tenzin's family is all", I responded, smiling at Bolin. _Good to see that he doesn't hate me anymore. Good old Bolin._ "Right, Korra?". I turned to the young Avatar for her support.

And a half-hearted "Right" was all I received. Next, the bespectacled man introduced himself to me.

"My name is Hiroshi Sato, head of the Future Industries Corporation, and the owner of the Satomobile brand. It's a pleasure to meet another friend of Avatar Korra". Hiroshi extended his hand towards me, and strangely enough, now that he had my attention, I was unable to read his mind! _Huh, that's odd. Gotta keep an eye on this guy too._

"My name is Saudorn, S-A-U-D-O-R-N, and it's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Sato". I nodded while shaking his hand.

After that, Hiroshi gestured towards the girl next to Mako. "This is my daughter, Asami".

 _Asami... Asami... That name does ring a bell. Who is she, apart from being Hiroshi's daughter?_ Suddenly, a flash of memory appeared before my eyes; it was just a simple word, though I was not sure if it was ONE word: Korrasami. _Wait a minute, wait a minute. Korrasami. Korra-Asami. Holy shit, she's the one many people back on Earth shipped with Korra so much! And that ship was canon too! I can't believe this! However, a shame that ship won't sail with me near Korra, heh heh_ ( sorry, readers, the ship's name is Saudorna now. I know it's not canon, but who gives a fuck? *Jerkish laugh* )

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Saudorn". Asami smiled amicably at me, also extending her hand forwards like her father'd done. _Like father, like daughter, huh? Oh, the irony._

"It's very nice to meet you too". I grasped Asami's hands gently, but instead of shaking it, I turned the back of her hand upwards and stooped down to kiss it politely. When I looked back up, she was blushing bright red. I quickly looked towards Mako and received an angry glare from him. _Whoa, hey there, hold your horses, dude. I'm not gonna steal her from you. As a matter of fact, I ship you and her!_ ( who's for Makosami? Please, raise your fuckin' hand! )

Then, Asami did the one thing I didn't expect her to do: Turning to Korra and talking to her immediately!

"It's lovely to meet you too. Mako's told me so much about you", she declared.

"Really? Because he hasn't mentioned you at all. How did you two meet?", the Avatar replied kind of half-heartedly.

Bolin, seeing this as his cue to act, leaned over Korra and talked quickly:"Asami crashed into him on her moped".

 _Ahhh, the classic girl-meets-guy-through-a-small-accident-created-by-said-girl trope. Love at first siiight!_

Korra was slightly concerned. "What? Are you okay?", she inquired Mako. _Hey, am I or is Mako your boyfriend?_

"I'm fine. More than fine. Mister Sato agreed to sponsor our team; we're back in the tournament!", Mako replied excitedly.

 _So... the financial problem solved itself! And it was with the help of that Sato guy. Suspicious._

Bolin chuckled enthusiastically. "Heh heh, isn't that great?".

"That's some good news indeed, Bolin!". I nodded towards Mako's brother and signaled for a high five, and we did it.

"Yeah, terrific", Korra responded in an unexcited tone. _The hell is wrong with her? She's part of the team, she should have been happy! Was it me or Mako or Asami or what?_

"Chief Beifong, I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met". Tarrlok's voice brought me back to reality.

When I focused again, I saw a fiftyish, tough-looking and somewhat handsome woman clad in a green, metal, police armor with gold trim and a badge on the left hand side, standing on Tarrlok's left, her arms behind her back. There were two scars on her right cheek, probably the "gift" from some diabolical criminal ( and it would turn out waaay later that I was half-right ).

"Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do", Chief Beifong spoke to Korra in a harsh tone while glaring at her, "don't think you're something special. You're doing nothing to deserve this". _Jesus on a fuckin' cracker, what the fuck is her fuckin' problem? And what the fuck is with the goddamn females tonight? Why do I need to keep hearing this shit?_

Before I could intervene on Korra's behalf, the woman pointed towards me and said:"You. We have something to discuss about in private".

Needless to say, I was surprised that, one, Chief Beifong seemed to know who I was; two, she wanted to talk to me right off the bat! But if she intended to silently arrest me or something, she'd have to use all of her metalbending skills in order to subdue me; and even so, I don't think she would succeed. _Sure. I'd love to have a discussion with you in private too. There's certainly a stick up your ass and I'd like to pull it out for ya with another one, Chief._

I complied the chief of police and followed her, much to Korra's and probably Mako and Bolin's surprise. Once we were away from the group of people, Chief Beifong turned around and asked me:

"So is it true? The fact that you have powers?".

"Whoa whoa! How did you-". I was shocked that the chief of police knew about the truth about me. Well, one of the truths, it seemed.

"Tenzin told me", Lin Beifong cut me off matter-of-factly. "Now answer me: Is it true?".

"Yes, it is". Sighing heavily, I confessed, mentally scolding Tenzin for telling this woman about the truth behind my back. But, honestly, I didn't tell him to keep what I'd revealed to him an absolute secret, so...

"And is it also true that you have enemies who're working for or with Amon?". The Chief continued with the inquiry. _Tenzin told her that too? Un-fuckin'-believable._

"Yes, Chief, it's also true", I answered her second question.

"Well, Tenzin vouched for you that you are not one of Amon's henchmen, but I have to be sure. Are you?", came the third question.

 _Okay, this has gone far enough._ With a cold expression, I responded:"No, I am not".

The chief of police was slightly taken aback by my change of demeanor, yet she kept calm and nodded. Then, she spoke:

"Tenzin also said that you are Korra's boyfriend. Now, I don't care about that kind of information, but if you betray Tenzin's trust in you, I'll personally see to it that your life will become very, very miserable. Am I understood?".

 _As if I want to do such a thing._ With a nod of confirmation, I answered:"Very clear, Chief".

"Good. One last thing, Tenzin told me your name, but I kind of forgot what it is and how it's spelled".

"Saudorn Zalear. S-A-U-D-O-R-N Z-A-L-E-A-R".

"Very well, Mr. Zalear. You can carry on now. Also, stop looking at my rear, or you'll get in deep trouble, young man", the Chief replied with a ghost of a smile. Or was there?

With that, the Chief of Police dismissed me and walked away. _Alright, after this damn gala, I'm gonna give Tenzin a piece of my mind. Now, back to keep an eye on the Avatar._ When I returned to the group, I found out that... Korra and Tarrlok were not there anymore! _Where is she? Where the hell did she go!?_ Trying to remain calm, I asked Hiroshi:

"Do you know where Korra and Tarrlo- I mean Councilman Tarrlok have gone off to?".

With an amicable smile, he pointed to the end of the hall, where there was a stair, where Korra was answering a bunch of reporters' questions, and said:"She's over there, my friend".

Hastily thanking him, I approached the stair, seeing Tenzin standing close by and joined him. Upon seeing me, he scolded. "Where have you been? I thought I told you to keep an eye on Korra!".

"Busy getting questioned by a certain Chief of Police about my secrets which I didn't tell you anything about revealing them... yet", I responded dryly.

"Oh. I'm... sorry about that, I just thought she needs to know about the coming threat as soon as possible". Tenzin looked embarrassed.

"So... you told her everything?".

"Not... everything. The rest of your secrets are safe with me", Tenzin assured me.

"For now. Anyway, about Korra, what in damnation is she doing up there with Tarrlok?". I wanted to know.

"I think he wants to ensure that she will join his task force", Tenzin grimly answered my question.

 _Shit, that's not good. The fuckin' weasel._ Near the bottom of the stair, a reporter asked Korra:

"Are you afraid of Amon?".

 _Shit, not that question!_ I was really worried now, upon hearing what that reporter had asked Korra, a flashback filled my vision: Back at the Equalist rally, after seeing what Amon'd been capable of, the young Avatar's eyes were plagued by fear. _Why did I come here just as that infernal question pops up? Fuck!_

"I am not afraid of anybody!", Korra yelled, "if the city needs me...". _No, Korra, please, no!_ "I'll join Tarrlok's task force and help fight Amon".

Both Tenzin and I were shocked at the Avatar's decision. _Goddamn it._ Immediately, Tarrlok rushed forwards to put his arm on my girlfriend's shoulder and spoke aloud:

"There's your headline, folks!".

 _You sick, manipulative motherfucker. If you were a part of Agrigula's collection of freaks, I'd kill you where you fuckin' stand!_

Once the gala was over and Tenzin, his family, Korra and I were on our way back to Air Temple Island, sitting on Oogi the flying bison's back, I scolded my girlfriend.

"Did you have any idea what you'd just done?"

"And what was that?", Korra countered defiantly.

"You joined Tarrlok's task force! You were played like a frickin' fiddle!".

The Avatar looked angry now. "So what?! And why do you care anyway? You were busy kissing Mako's girlfriend's hand and talking to Lin Beifong like you two were best friends or something, remember?".

"What? What did those have anything to do with you joining Tarrlok's task force? And 'so what?' ? You disappointed me and Tenzin! You knew damn well that you should have just focused on your airbending training. You're not even a full-fledged Avatar yet, up to this point!". I stood up, furious now.

Korra stood up too, not wanting to look up at me while addressing me. But truth be told, even with standing up, she was still dwarfed by my presence. Sure, she was the Avatar, but don't you even think about me not be able to intimidate her. Amon was scary to her, but I could be even scarier, had I chosen to be her enemy. "Oh, they did! If you didn't do those things, you were still be on my side, being my "Guardian", and keep me away from Tarrlok! And I dare you to say "not even a full-fledged Avatar" again. I dare you!".

Before I could snap back, Tenzin shouted:"ENOUGH, you two! Sit down right this instance, or I will toss the both of you off Oogi and let you go back to the island all by yourselves!".

Still glaring at each other, I and Korra slowly sat down as Oogi continued to carry all of us towards the island. Once the flying bison landed, Korra swiftly jumped off it and ran away, credibly towards her room. Still angry, I jumped off the animal too, and proceeded to walk out of the temple back to the hotel, when Tenzin told me to wait. For some reason I didn't ( and still don't ) understand, I stopped and waited for Tenzin to tell his family to go to sleep, then for him to approach me. With a sad voice, he reminded me that it was not entirely Korra's fault, but Tarrlok's. Sighing heavily, I conceded, asking him what I should do; Tenzin advised me to give Korra time and space to cool down. Next, with this change of event, he said, he thought it would be best for me to stay here for a while to strategize with him on what to do if things got worse, which I agreed they would. So, I chose to stay, following his instructions on where to sleep ( in a room in the Men's Dormitory, of course ), where to have breakfast ( in the dining hall ) and where to do the strategizing ( in Tenzin's study ). Before I went to 'my' room to sleep, I asked Tenzin's permission to call Anyu at the hotel to let her know that I would stay on Air Temple Island for several days to help Tenzin out, telling her to pack my belongings, to repeat my message to Tanna first thing in the morning, and to help her bring everything to the island. After that, I left Tenzin's family bedroom, was headed towards 'my' room in the Men's Dormitory, entered it and went to sleep. _Hopefully tomorrow is not gonna be a bad day._

...

When I woke up the next morning; at first, I didn't recognized where I was, feeling a little odd. Then, after a few minutes, I realized that I was in a room, which belonged to the Men's Dormitory, on Air Temple Island. With a loud groan, I stretched and sat up on the bed, got off it and... saw my belongings ( my two duffel bags ) on the floor. _Wow, Tanna surely delivered them fast._ Next, I went out to the Men's Bathroom to do the usual hygiene stuff, exited the place after finishing all of it, and was headed for the dining hall. Tenzin was sitting at a table, talking with Tanna while waiting for me. Once I approached, I greeted them, sitting down opposite the councilman. Tanna immediately excitedly told me how awesome it was to finally meet Tenzin - one of the last airbenders in the world. Then, she asked me how it'd been between me and the Avatar, to which I gave her a little lie about us still working on that. Next, Tenzin asked me if I had had a good sleep last night, and I replied that I had. I also asked Tenzin where Korra was and got an answer from Tanna: The Avatar had left for her 'duty in the task force'. For the next fifteen minutes, three of us chatted over breakfast 'til the meal were finished. After that, I told Tanna that I and Tenzin needed to talk about the Amon problem ( and the Agrigula problem, of course, which I decided not to tell her ), promising her that I'd talk to her soon. After giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, Tanna said goodbye to me and the councilman and left. Immediately, Tenzin commented amusingly about the kiss, to which I embarrassedly explain to him that we bonded ( well, both physically and figuratively ) after a small accident in the hotel the first day ( you think I was stupid enough to tell Tenzin that it was actually night? Noooo, thank you, he'd have my hide if he knew I'd 'boned' another girl way before I met Korra ) I arrived.

Afterwards, I followed Tenzin to his study; once inside, I took a seat opposite him again, at his desk, discussing with him: First, about where Amon would strike first when the war broke out; second, about where the police force should watch out for, in case the enemies chose to use sabotage as a mean to weaken the city's defense instead; third, what to do with Tarrlok and his task force when the war arrived; and finally, how to convince Korra to leave Tarrlok's task force and never return for good. When we were done, it was late in the afternoon. While we were going outside, we asked some Air Acolytes whether Korra had returned or not, and 'no' was the answer. Worried, we went back to Tenzin's study to turn on the radio to hear if there was any news about Korra. Sadly, there was none. Therefore, we just went to the dining room with me bringing the radio along in hope of catching some report about Korra.

During the dinner, I kept changing the radio channel back and forth every five minutes, irritating the hell outta Ikki and Meelo, them bombarding me with so many questions; yet, thank to Tenzin, the kids decided to stop bothering me. After dinner, it was just the councilman and me keeping an ear out for Korra's voice. At about 9:30 P.M. , we were lucky; for instantly, we heard her voice sounding from the radio.

"You want to know why? Because Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward. Amon, I challenge you to a duel!". My eyes went wide in shock upon hearing what I thought I'd just heard. Turning to Tenzin, I saw that he was shocked too. "No task force, no chi-blockers, just the two of us tonight at 10 on Avatar Aang Memorial Island". _What the fuck does she think she's doing? It doesn't work like that!_ "Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me". Korra finished her sentence and the radio was filled with questions asked by the reporters.

Turning the thing off, Tenzin spoke, voice urgent:"We have to hurry! She is getting herself in trouble!".

"Let's go!". I nodded quickly and ran for the door, Tenzin followe suit, heading towards one of the flying bison caves and waiting for Tenzin to get Oogi out. Next, we were on the animal's back and flew towards Republic City dock.

After about ten minutes of flying, we arrived at the dock and landed on it, waiting for Korra. At 9:47, Korra, Tarrlok, and several others arrived, with the Avatar bringing a boat, using her waterbending.

"Korra, this is madness", Tenzin spoke to the Avatar while she was putting the boat onto the water, trying to talk some sense into her.

She wrapped ropes loosely around her arms and hands. "Don't try to stop me and don't follow me. I have to face Amon alone".

"No, you don't have to". Grabbing Korra's arm, I held her back. "Korra, please, don't do this", I swiftly added.

"Let go of me", she replied coldly.

"No".

"I said let go!". She tried to yank her arm from my grip, but it was futile.

Angry, she used her other hand to punch at me, yet I already anticipated her move, ready to catch her fist. And I did. Right away, she did something I never thought she would. She spat in my face. Surprised, my grip on her arm and fist loosened and she grabbed that opportunity to break free, jumping on the boat, guiding it towards Avatar Aang Memorial Island using waterbending. Still surprised, I was oblivious to the argument between Tenzin and Tarrlok. _She spat in my face... How could she do such a thing like that to me?_

...

Azara's p.o.v.

I was appalled at the Avatar's reaction against Saudorn. _She's the Avatar, she's not supposed to possess that kind of behavior! Also, that's my Successor and my beloved- brother whose face you just degraded with your spit!_ Now I was angry at that girl, really angry. How she was destined to be the Avatar and why Father wanted me to keep an eye on her were beyond me. I didn't really care if she'd joined Tarrlok's task force or not. But challenging Amon to a duel, at 10 on an island far away from any chance to have back-up? Either she was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Or extremely egotistical. _I'll choose 'stupid' and 'egotistical'._

Proceeding to calm myself down amidst Tarrlok's men in my excellent, but lame ( I'd rather dress up as a beggar than be one of Tarrlok's goons ) disguise, I began to scan the island, using my ability to detect malevolent presences up to one kilometer. _No one's there yet. Just be a bit more patient, Azara. When they're there, you'll have a chance to kick their asses._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

When I arrived at the island, I stood at the base of the giant statue of Aang, still infuriated by Saudorn, wiping the tears on my cheeks. _Why did he have to be an ass and try to stop me from luring Amon out of hiding? Was he jealous that I'd gotten to challenge Amon or what? I can't believe I decided to reconcile with him! But I can't believe that I spat in his face too. Did he aggravate me that much? Spirits, why does bad luck just keep happening to us?_

Just as I was finishing my thoughts, the clock chimed loudly, startling me, sounding 10:00 P.M. Quickly, I got into a fighting stance and anticipated Amon's strike; however, after a while, I realized that there was no one here. A few minutes later, I sat down, tired and exhausted from waiting in anxiety. _What if Saudorn and Tenzin didn't want me to go with this because they knew I'm afraid?_ A few more minutes later, I yawned and talked to myself.

"Guess you're a no-show, Amon. Who's scared now?".

Soon, I stood up and walked away while stretching. As I walked past the base of the statue, I felt bound by some kind of rope, at my feet, and was dragged into a chamber inside Aang's statue's base. As soon as I reached the center, I found myself surrounded by a circle of chi-blockers! _Amon, you coward!_ Swiftly, I spun and bent fire around me to keep the Equalists at bay, but was quickly overwhelmed as two whips entangled my hands from both sides, preventing me to move away. I used my legs to kick some fire and earth around; nonetheless, I was ultimately hit in the back by the chi-blocking bastards. Then, I was unconscious.

When I came to, I realized that I was taken by the arms and forced to sit on my knees. As I looked up, I noticed Amon entering the area.

"I received your invitation, young Avatar", he spoke. I nearly pissed myself when Amon reached out his hand in order to touch my face, I turned away. I immediately felt the evil mongrel grab me by my chin and forced me to look at him. _No, no!_

"Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now, I won't. You'd only become a martyr". I was angry at that. "Benders of every nation would rally behind your untimely demise, and hinder my and Agrigula's progress". _Who in damnation is Agrigula? Is he one of Saudorn's enemies?_ "But I assure you, we have a plan. And I'm saving you for last. After I bring your boyfriend, defeated, before, shall we say... my ally and let him do whatever he wishes to do to your beloved, you'll get your duel, and I will destroy you".

"No, not him! Not him, you bastard!", I shouted out loud in fear upon hearing what Amon had had in store for Saudorn.

Wordlessly, Amon held his hand high up in the air, appearing to strike me. But before he could, a feminine, familiar voice stopped him.

"before she's yours, she's mine".

I turned towards where the dreadful voice originated from. And from the shadow, that woman in black-and-red walked forwards, revealing her presence to everyone.

"What are you doing here? I thought Agrigula wanted you to find out everything about Tenzin and airbending?", Amon inquired the woman. _They're researching about Tenzin and airbending? No!_

"And I thought he also told you that I don't care much about orders? Yeah, you got that right, they're boring", the woman replied in a teasing manner, "however, the Avatar, on the other hand, is not".

I immediately felt a chill run down my spine as she mentioned me. I still remembered what had happened back in the machine room in that factory that night: After my defeat at the hands of the female stranger, she approached me and... played with my earlobe with her teeth! And that was really really creepy! _Spirits, what does this woman want from me?_ Coming towards me, she signaled for the chi-blockers who'd been holding my arms to let go of me, stooping down and caressing my right cheek with her left hand, speaking to me, gripping hard so I couldn't turn away:

"Now that I have the proper time to see you more clearly, I've gotta say: You look really delicious". The creepy female rolled the letter 'e' from the word 'really', making me feel even more uncomfortable than I had to begin with. "And for this, I have no choice but to take a bite, from the apple".

With that, suddenly, there was a bright flash from her left hand and... I was electroshocked! I screamed out loud in pain as lightning surged through me, causing me so much agony, my vision blurry. I, then, heard the evil bitch sing a song in a harsh voice:

Afraid to walk the streets

in the coldness all alone.

The blackness of the night

engulfs your flesh and bones!

Hoping for relief

from the fear you feel inside!

Losing all perspective

of reality in the night! ( Slayer's Tormentor )

When the pain stopped, my vision got less blurry than before. Next, I heard the woman spoke sharply:

"Do not interfere in a business that has nothing to do with your plan, Amon. In the end, she's yours to be dealt with; but not now".

That angered me. _Me? Amon's? Never!_ And if this bitch thought I was hers too, then she was very very wrong. With my anger, my strength somewhat returned, and I stood up and punched a flaming fist at the despicable woman. Nevertheless, just like Saudorn, she nonchalantly caught my right fist of fire head on with her left hand, twisting it, evoking an utter of pain from me, forcing me to sit down on my knees again. After that, another surge of lightning went through me again. Screaming, I collapsed on all fours, willing myself not to crash entirely on the floor, hearing her sing again:

Riding in darkness through the hell of the night!

Give all your torment to the heaven's might!

In the name of Satan, spread all your fear!

You feel his anger, you know he's near! ( Kreator's Tormentor )

"And that was for trying to resist your Mistress, little slaving worm. But I like it, I like girls with fighting spirit like you. Your struggle makes me... quiver with pleasure", that voice directed me from above, sounding somehow... husky? "And to repay you, I'll give you something else in return". She deliberately pulled my hair upwards, causing me to look up at her.

Without warning, she grabbed the neckline of my shirt and violently gave it a savage yank, tearing its front and exposing my breasts to everyone to see! Gasping in dismay, I quickly covered my chest with my arms, gritting my teeth at the bitch.

"Ho-how dare you..." was all I could manage.

That made the woman laugh in amusement, her tone cruel and humorless. Once she stopped laughing, she quickly grasped my face and... kissed me! I tried to struggle, only to feel her deepen the kiss further, her tongue intruding the inside of my mouth, violating me. Before I could recover from the unexpected move the crazed female forced on me, I felt her pin my left nipple with her right index and middle finger, sending one more surge of lightning through me, nearly rendering me unconscious, laughing mercilessly again. Overwhelmed by the torture, I finally crashed down onto the cold floor, breathing raggedly, hearing her singing voice echoing above me:

Oh little mouse, where is your head?

Do you want something instead?

Now little bird, you see my blade.

Now you see, I know my trade!

Tormentor! ( Destruction's Tormentor )

"See, Amon!? This is what I call 'not boring'! Total bliss!". I heard the woman exclaim derangedly.

"I still call that 'tedious'. For I got a better thing to do: Go 'Miaow' and kick your ass". All of a sudden, another female voice sounded somewhere behind me.

...

Azara's p.o.v.

Having recovered from an overwhelming energy of malicious intent which I'd discovered right away after psychically scanning the island from the dock for the second time, five minutes later, I immediately froze everyone, including Saudorn, using my time-manipulating powers, and slightly used my secret power to jump over to the place where Korra was, arriving in time to witness the Avatar being tortured by Helena/Sonja. _Sick, damnable bitch! She hasn't changed at all after the last encounter._

Deciding to crash the 'party', I spoke aloud, interrupting Helena/Sonja's fun time:

"I still call that 'tedious'. For I got a better thing to do: Go 'Miaow' and kick your ass".

Instantly, having recognized my voice, the Bitch turned around and was astonished to see me standing there, the demented look of joy on her face quickly diminishing, replaced by ugly, utter hate and animosity.

"You! Why don't you just leave me alone?!", she bellowed, "I'm sick and tired of your holier-than-thou presence dogging me like an unrelenting stalker!".

"Aww, I thought you would be flattered I do such a thing at all, since you love stalking your preys so much". I teased her, giving her my best version of a shit-eating grin ever. "How does it taste, huh, your own medicine?".

"What are you standing there for? Get her!", Helena/Sonja ordered the Equalist fighters.

However, they appeared to hesitate, not sure if Amon would allow them to do that or not. All of their attention now concentrated on their leader. But before Amon could say or do anything, the crazed woman sent a big sphere of lightning at one of the Equalists, throwing him hard against a wall, killing him at once, evoking a loud gasp from everybody, perhaps including Amon. Without even a complaint, the chi-blockers rushed at me out of fear for their life. Poor bastards. Pulling out Hejusha, my whip, I straightened it out with a lash. Next, I used the whip to grasp one of my opponents by the throat and swiftly yanked him face first towards one of the two walls that formed the chamber's entrance. _That's gonna leave a mark._ After that, I lashed out at the chi-blockers with two slashes, knocking six of them to the floor, the whip having licked their faces at an incredible speed. _Eight down, more to go._ Once the remaining foes approached me, I froze them all with my left hand, using my powers. Afterwards, I retracted Hejusha, jerking the whip backwards once, folding it and putting it back on the small hook on my belt. Then, I proceeded to take them all down, using my hand-to-hand combat skills, punching one here, one there, spinning kicking another, kneeing another on the stomach really hard, following an elbow to the back of his neck, drop-kicking one more in the face, standing up and spinning clotheslining a female, performing an uppercut on a male who rushed towards me upon seeing me hit his... sister? _Shit, I should have made the time last a bit longer._ Could he be the one who Saudorn'd Hurricanrana Drivered to the ground, head first, back at that square? Next, I Cro-Copped another female, German suplexing the last female, dodging another male's strikes and roundhouse kicking him, back fist striking the last three, ending the first phase of my first encounter with Helena/Sonja in the World of Benders effectively. When I looked at my nemesis, I noticed that Amon'd already left. _No sense in watching a catfight, huh? Good for you._

"Useless goddamn humans", the other woman scolded, "always make one do things by oneself". She grabbed a lying Korra by the throat and roughly pushed her aside, tumbling down onto the floor again.

"And it's actually good for your health, Sonja. A girl can't afford to be... fat, isn't that right?". I teased her again.

"It's Sojana now". Her voice cold and deadly. "And you should remember it. Because it'll be... the last thing staying in your mind when you die!".

With that, Sojana removed her cloak, revealing a black, deep-V vinyl catsuit with zipper front. _Another reason to hate this bitch: She dares pretend to be Catwoman! My idol! But I'll do the ass-kicking later, I'm here to save the Avatar._ To answer Sojana's 'battle-dress' challenge, I ripped apart the disguise clothes, revealing a light brown one-piece, bikini-like, leather outfit with a pretty loose, long-legged, black athletic pants, disclosing my naked, fit waist, accompanied by a pair of black combat boots. _Who's sexy than who, huh?_

Teeth-gritting, my female enemy formed two fairly big lightnight spheres and threw them at me with great speed. Nonetheless, I froze them, sending them back to her, causing her to quickly erase the two spheres from existence. Before all that, I ran towards Sojana, determining to take her out as swiftly as possible; yet she hindered me by throwing spheres after spheres at me, making me dodge them repeatedly. Once near the woman, I began to initiate a hand-to-hand combat with her, resulting in me giving her a kick across one of her lips, merely grazing them because my foot was not close enough to contact her cheek. After that, I jumped back to avoid a spinning fist. Glaring at me, Sojana touched her lower lip, seeing blood. Next, wordlessly, she created two great spheres up in the air above her hands, smiling cruelly.

"Never thought you were a whore thirsty for size. Because... you strike me as a slut with a taste of quantity". I winked at her.

"You're wrong, and right. I don't like size, I actually like... quantity. Like this!", the woman replied, still smiling.

Suddenly, the two great spheres shot out many smaller ones towards me, like two giant, alien 'sentry guns'! _Damn it!_ Hastily, I dodged back and forth, left and right, not wanting to get hit by any of the sphere bullets. As the great spheres kept shooting, I noticed that they were getting smaller. After a while, there was nothing left. Another window of opportunity. _Time for another trick._ Fleetly, I reached my belt and pulled out a small, throwing trident blade, hurling it forwards Sojana, impaling her right shoulder, making her grunt aloud in pain. _Mission accomplished._

"Small wound, no big deal; but I wouldn't worry about that if I was you. In fact, I would worry about being poisoned or not. Of course you are immune to all kinds of poison now, yet that little trident's blades were submerged in something you really, really don't like". I grinned.

Aghast, the other woman hurriedly pulled the dart out of her shoulder, throwing it away. "Why, you little celestial cunt!", she roared, creating two great spheres again, slightly smaller now because of the thing on the mini throwing trident's blades, corn syrup. _Thank Goodness for corn syrup allergy._ Angrily, she threw the two spheres at me this time. _Size instead of quantity now, eh?_ Calmly, I froze the great lightning balls, telling her:

"Since you love playing with balls so much, have a taste, bitch!".

Then, I sent them back to her, making her desperately create two more to meet the first two. There was a bright flash of light as the four objects connected, lightning sizzling everywhere in the air, causing me to close my eyes. When I open them again, I saw Sojana on her knees and foot, breathing heavily, sweating profusely. Taking out my whip again, I lashed at the Avatar by her right ankle, yanking her sliding towards me, stopping next to me, safe at last. That was when I heard a noise outside.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

I didn't know what'd happened to me, but when I focused again, I saw a series of flashing lights and lightning from the base of Avatar Aanng's statue. _Oh no, Korra!_ Immediately, I created a pretty thick, rectangular sheet of microorganisms before me, ignoring Tenzin asking me what I was doing, discreetly freezing Tarrlok and his task force, lightly but urgently hopping onto the sheet, and mentally making the object move super fast towards the island's direction, staying close to the surface of the water, causing it to slightly part ways because of the sheer velocity from the lowly flying thing.

Three minutes later, I arrived at the Island, having jumped off my 'transportation' before guiding it flying upwards and disperse it into millions of very very very small individuals. Next, I ran up to the statue's base, near the entrance of a great chamber inside, when I saw a bunch of Equalists lying around on the floor; Korra, too, was lying on the floor next to woman who was holding a whip, looking towards something ahead.

"You fuckin' bitch! You stay away from my girlfriend!". Shouting angrily, I came at the female stranger, intending to punch her as she was turning around.

However, the whip was lashed out and wrapped around my right wrist. I, then, felt the whip slightly, but with force, pulled back to the woman's direction, causing me to tumble on my knees, trying to get rid of the whip using my other hand.

"It's futile, Saudorn. No one can untangle Hejusha once she has a firm grip on her prey. Only I can tell her to let go", the woman spoke in a calm tone, addressing me, using my name to gain my attention.

 _Hejusha? The whip has a name? Also, why does her voice sound so familiar?_ Looking up, I gazed at the woman's face and... was surprised to see that it was Azara! And she looked super hot! ( "Super - hot! Super - hot! Super - hot!" ) in a one-piece, bikini-like, leather outfit accompanied by a long-legged, black athletic pants and a pair of black combat boots. _Holy cow, is she really a massager or a superheroine/heroine?_

"Under any other circumstance, I'd love to let you enjoy the view 'til saliva flows out of your mouth like a hungry hyena you look like now. Nonetheless, you have a girlfriend who needs your attention, like, right away". Azara gave the whip another pull and it 'let go of' my wrist, returning to its mistress, folded and hooked. _I'll never understand how whippers are able to do that shit._ "That being said, we still are friends and allies, Mr. Handsome", she mischievous added.

"Very well, then. But you'd better give me an explanation after all this!". I rubbed my wrist standing up, turning to my Avatar girlfriend. "Korra, are you oka-".

I was appalled and shocked when I rolled her on her back. Nearly all of the portions of the front of her shirt were ripped off, showing a bruised left nipple. Her right arm had a bruise as well as her right cheek. And there were tears still streaming down her face. _My Goodness, Korra..._ Still appalled, I looked back to Azara, who shook her head, pointing straight ahead. As my eyes followed the direction of her pointing finger, they went wide, seeing someone who I thought had perished a long time before, right before my eyes, as a tool of Zulathulhu's torment upon me.

As she was standing there, she began to sing Sodom's Epitome of Torture despite somehow looking sick as fuck, cackling madly once she finished.

As I start a chase,

stalking in the night,

my prayers have been answered!

Caught in a desperate plight!

Voices of the damned!

Infectious clouds of doom

sought to make my path!

Ignore the lies of truth!

Epitome...

Epitome!

Epitome of torture!

Misleading...

Misleading!

Misleading my desire!

Epitome...

Epitome!

Epitome of torture!

No chance for...

No chance for!

No chance for your revival!

Nothing left inside!

Insanity released!

Falling down with hate!

Just undiscovered dreams!

Stimulated sins!

Served within temptation!

Erasing your deceit!

Violate your destitution!

Epitome...

Epitome!

Epitome of torture!

Misleading...

Misleading!

Misleading my desire!

Epitome...

Epitome!

Epitome of torture!

No chance for...

No chance for!

No chance for your revival!

You break the peaceful silence!

Penetrative screams!

Decivilize my grace!

Stirring up my blood!

My blood!

My blood...!

Epitome...

Epitome!

Epitome of torture!

Misleading...

Misleading!

Misleading my desire!

Epitome...

Epitome!

Epitome of torture!

No chance for...

No chance for!

No chance for your revival!

No chance for your revival!

No chance for your revival!

No chance for your revival!

No chance for your revival!

"He-Helena?", I stammered.

"Ah-ah, not sexy Sonja, not sweet Helena, anymore. My name is Sojana now. It's a... pleasure... to meet you again, my love", the other woman said, voice teasing, yet grimacing with pain.

Confused, I returned my attention to Azara, hoping she would say something to make me understand. But she just stayed silent, looking down to the floor. I was forced to look back to Hele- Sojana, even more confused now.

Grinning dementedly, Sojana spoke:"You'll see the whole picture, in time, my Saudorn. Yet, firstly, the Avatar has to be gotten rid of; then, we'll be able to reunite, and be whole, once more. However, because of some... irritating inconvenience, I think I'll pay the Avatar a visit another time. Goodbye, sweetie".

With that, she blew me a kiss, then disappeared. That was when the young Avatar, who I'd cradled on my lap, spoke weakly:

"Aang?".

"No, it's me Saudorn". I gently wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here to protect you, I-I... I'll explain later, okay? Right now, you need medical attention", I added, sad.

"Amon... That... That woman... The pain... And my bending...".

Upon hearing her mention her bending, I instantly scanned her consciousness, discovering that her bending was still there, also discovering her memory of the recent... experience. _That bitch... That bitch! Sojana, Sonja, or whatever the hell you call yourself now, I swear I'll fuckin' rip you in half as slowly as possible!_ When I calmed down a bit, I told Korra:

"Your bending's still with you, don't worry".

Next, I took off my shirt and made the Avatar wear it for her modesty once I was to bring her back to the dock. Couldn't contain her emotions any longer, Korra burst into tears again, crying miserably.

"It's alright, sweetheart, it's alright. You're safe now. The fear of the moment has passed". I soothed Korra gently while lifting her up, carrying her on my arms, turning towards Azara.

"I'll meet you back at Air Temple Island. See you soon", Azara spoke quickly and instantly ran out of the chamber, out of sight once she turned right.

Sighing heavily, I carried the young Avatar, who was huddled close to my chest for comfort, outside, mentally forming another sheet of microorgasnisms, stepping on it and let it float fairly swiftly back towards the dock.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	15. Chapter 13

**Note: This chapter contained pretty detailed smut scene ( also, this is the first time I write a smut scene, so review and let me know if I'm good or bad at it :D ) and coarse language, reader discretion advised. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XIII - The Calm Before The Storm**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After having ignored Tarrlok and his question about what'd happened to Korra, I told Tenzin to prepare Oogi, stepping on it and let it take all three of us back to Air Temple Island. During the flight, I recapitulated what'd occurred while Korra was on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, looking down at my peacefully sleeping girlfriend. She was fighting both the Equalist chi-blockers and... one of my enemies ( I was still shocked about Hele- Sojana, not knowing what to tell Tenzin about that ). She was tortured by her and if my ally ( Azara ) wasn't there, Spirits knew what terrible thing else would happen to the young Avatar. Upon hearing that, Tenzin was dismayed and angered by the sadistic act; then, he calmed down a bit, and said that now he understood why I hadn't wanted to reveal anything about my enemies, yet.

Once we arrived at Air Temple Island, we were told by a female Air Acolyte that Tenzin had a guest waiting for him and me in the Avatar's room. I nodded towards the councilman, indicating that it was alright, starting walking towards the direction of the Women's Dormitory with Tenzin following suit. When we reached Korra's room, we entered it and saw Azara standing there, her back to us, wearing a light brown cloak ( how the hell she had time to wear a cloak and where the hell she got it, I didn't and still don't even know ), appearing to look out the window. Upon hearing the sound of the door sliding open, she turned around, smiling politely and introducing herself to Tenzin. Next, she glanced at me and I detected a look of longing and yearning as her eyes were focused on my naked, muscular upper body. Then, she embarrassedly gestured at Korra's bed, motioning me to put her there. I did, stepped back and watched Azara do, perhaps, the most amazing thing ever: She used a power she explained to me and Tenzin that it based on time manipulation, choosing only the time around the bruises, letting it go back to when the wounds were not there, in order to not let the body age too quickly. So, in a way, she healed Korra back to her full health. However, she couldn't do the same thing to the Avatar's mind, knowing that it would cost her her mental age and many periods of maturing, which could only be achieved naturally. Therefore, Korra had no other choice but to live and make peace with those horrific moments, but not alone.

After that, she quickly explained to me that she was one of Esillith's many children, who were currently joining in a great war outside the World of Benders, and that her task was originally to keep an eye on me. She said that the business seal that she'd given me was, in truth, a tracking device, which helped her locate my place in Republic City so she and Esillith could drop supplies for me and keep track of my outdoor activities. _Huh. I should have known Azara as a massager was too good to be true._ When Agrigula set foot in this world, Esillith ordered her to keep an eye on the Avatar instead, having sensed a familiar presence amidst Agrigula's Legion. She confessed that she'd followed me, Korra and Mako to the Equalist rally, discovering that that familiar presence was none other than my ex-girlfriend, or resurrected ex-girlfriend ( by Zulathulhu, no doubt ), who had had multiple personalities ( this I knew a long time ago and it was one of the reasons why I had to break up with Helena/Sonja ). Nevertheless, Azara was not sure if the other woman was controlled by which personality, so she reported back to Esillith and was ordered to continue to keep an eye on Korra and not to reveal to me anything about Helena/Sonja just yet, for my own emotional safety. Now, however, seeing that I'd already encountered Sojana, the truth had to come out, Azara decided. Back on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, during the showdown between Azara and the crazed bitch, she'd learned that it was indeed Sonja who took control of Helena's body, yet she got another name now, and she deduced that it must be Zulathulhu who'd given her the new name. The purpose of my ex's resurrection, Azara told me through her and Esillith's calculation, was to distract me from my duty to protect the Avatar, rendering me emotionally vulnerable; in other words, an easy prey who would get hit below the belt.

Afterwards, Azara told me that Korra needed me right now, even in sleep, so I climbed into bed, sitting next to the Avatar, my back against the wall, cradling her head on my lap gently. While I was doing all this, Azara guided Tenzin outside, saying that she had much more to tell him, asking him where they should began the talk, to which Tenzin replied it would be best in his study. Once they were away, I looked down at my sleeping girlfriend, put away some strands of hair covering her face, and kissed her forehead lightly. _Goodnight, Korra._

...

After a while of trying to stay up late to see if Korra was in a nightmare or not, I fell asleep, for how long I didn't know; but then I was jolted awake by someone thrashing about in my lap. I focused and saw that it was Korra, definitely plagued by whatever nightmare she was in, mumbling things about Amon taking her bending away, and someone touching and torturing her, probably Sojana. Trying to hold my girlfriend down, I spoke to her:

"Stay calm, Korra, it's alright. It's just a nightmare. It's just a nightmare, please, stay calm".

Seven seconds of thrashing later, Korra woke up, gasping aloud, sitting up on the bed real fast. Immediately, I hugged her soothingly as she sobbed miserably. When she stopped crying, she looked up at me and asked:

"A-are we back on Air Temple Island?".

"Yeah, we are. How are you feeling?". I stroked her shoulder lightly.

Korra shook her head. "I... don't know. The dream... that dream... It was so real. I thought-".

"It was just a nightmare, Korra. Your thoughts are still haunted by what that bitch did to you. But you're safe now. And know this, I'll always be here for you". I kissed her forehead again.

"You... promise?".

"I promise, sweetheart". I smiled at her.

At that, the Avatar smiled back at me, and she blushed, suddenly noticing that I was half-naked. Her hands lightly moved about my chest up to my neck, and my face. At that moment, she looked at me in the eyes, slowly inching forwards, her lips slightly parted. However, before our lips met, she stopped, frowning.

"Korra, what's wrong?", I asked her, concerned.

"I... I think I remember what I did to you". Her voiced trembled. "I-I'm sorry... for spitting in your face. I... shouldn't have done that". The Avatar was on the verge of crying again.

"It's all right, sweetheart. You were just angry is all. I understand". I moved to hug her again.

"Rea-really?". Her voice was timid.

"Yeah, I totally understand". I nodded.

*Smut scene begins*

When I finished my sentence, I was suddenly met with a fierce, passionate kiss, her arms wrapping around my back, hands roaming alongside it. Surprised, but feeling the passion, I kissed her back, our tongues danced with each other; and needless to say, she was still a bit sloppy. But I didn't care about that. A full minute of kissing later, Korra's hands began to trail to my chest, her right one moving southward, stopping just above the waistband of my jeans; startled by her move, I gently disrupted the kiss, prompting my girlfriend to ask me:

"What's wrong? Did I... do something... not right?".

"Your hand was moving towards, uh, my crotch. I don't think you're ready for that", I explained.

"Oh" was all she uttered, embarrassed. "Actually... I just wanted to feel your abs", she added meekly.

 _Oh. This is getting quite awkward._ A few moments in silence later, I decided to let her have some fun, smiling.

"You know what? Why don't you have a clearer look at it?", I said mischievously, lying down on the bed instantly.

Korra's eyes were wide, as if to say "Really? You mean it?". I nodded. And immediately, the Avatar crawled over me, gazing at my abs in amazement. Next, she asked me:

"May I?".

Knowing what she wanted to do next, I nodded again, smiling warmly. Once her fingers, then right hand, 'landed' upon my six-pack, I kind of felt some electric sensation going through my body. _Goodness, the last time Helena touched my abs, it felt like a century ago._ I shivered as her fingers moved back and forth on that place. And soon afterwards, all of a sudden, I felt Korra... kissing my abs! _Oh Goodness..._ A couple of landing kisses later, her lips trailed up to my chest, mischievously lightly biting a place on it, chuckling happily, then my neck, then... our lips and tongues met again. This time, my hands roamed alongside her back, feeling the material of my shirt on her. Next, I felt her pulling the shirt upwards, attempting to get rid of it. Before I could stop her from taking it off ( truth be told, I didn't want to rush our time together and, maybe, reserved the sex 'til later ), she bit my lower lip pretty hard, taking that opportunity to break the kiss and got out of my tee, throwing it away, also tearing off what left of her own shirt.

"Stop protesting and touch me, please...", she whispered to me, "I need you".

Upon hearing that, I couldn't help but gratify her, roaming her back, naked this time, again, while her lips crashed down upon mine once more. Thenceforth, my hands roamed the front of her body, evoking muffled moans from her mouth. Her round breasts felt fairly soft, yet firm and hardened because of both of her working out and... being turned on, I guess. As I kneaded her rock-hard nipples with my fingers, she gasped and moaned into my mouth again.

"Mmm! Uhm! Uhm...".

Four seconds later, she broke the kiss and whispered thickly:

"Spirits, that felt so good! Where did you learn to do that?".

"From some sex guide books I bought when I was a teen", I lied with a naughty grin. _Frankly, Korra, it's a personal matter involving my ex, and I don't wanna be reminded of that bitch right now._

"You had sex books?", the Avatar inquired incredulously. "You're quite a fiend, aren't you?". She punched my arm playfully, quite hard.

"Oh, you don't know what 'fiend' means, Avatar", I teased her.

"Show me", she challenged me, grinning.

Deciding to catch her off guard, I quickly rolled her over, lying down on the bed, staying on top of her, causing her to yelp in surprise, kissing her neck quite aggressively, only to be pulled up, locking lips with her, highly passionately sucking on her tongue, making her sigh in happiness. Shortly after, determined, I broke the kiss again, trailing down to her neck, then her breasts, sucking one greedily, hand clasping the other, then gently teasing her left nipple with kisses to 'dispel' the emotional 'mark' that Sojana had put on it and nibbling it slightly, making her gasped aloud with pleasure, her hands clutching my head urgently, wanting more. However, I had another plan for her: Conquering her velve- _Wait a minute, didn't I promise Tenzin not to get in her pants?_ Yeah, there was that. _Ah, fuck it, it's not like I do it just for kicks. I do love her, for crying out loud! Okay, so... I'm gonna ta-_

"Like what you see?", the Avatar teased me in a husky voice, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah... I like it".

Focusing one more, I discovered that I was staring at her abs with the 'help' of the bright moonlight streaming into the room through the window, next to the bed. Immediately, I kissed all over her six-pack, causing her to giggle in amusement. Next, her hand was suddenly on my head, lightly pushing me southward. _So, she likes it too huh?_

Looking up at her with a sly grin, I gently grasped the waistband of her Water Tribe pants and pulled it down. Once it was at her ankle, Korra slightly kicked the pants away from her feet, off the bed. When my attention was back at her crotch, I saw that she was wearing traditional bindings to cover her crotch; using my powers and gently lifting her back upwards, I removed the bindings, avoiding an embarrassed moment of struggling to remove the things or of accidentally ripping them off, making Korra gasped in wonderment.

"You're okay?", I inquired her.

"Yeah... I just... I'm still adjusting to the idea of you being a bender", she responded haltingly.

Chuckling humorously, I told her:"After my explanation, you'll understand. Now, I just wanna taste you!".

With that, I slowly 'descended' on her mound, kissing it, inhaling her arousal, my nose touching her fairly thin, black pubic hair, causing the young Avatar to hold her breath in anticipation. Next, I moved down and targeted her clit with my tongue and lips, lashing at and sucking the button enthusiastically, my right index finger slightly entering her velvet cave and exploring around. Under my assault on her sensitive spot, Korra squirmed, moaned aloud and grabbed my head with her hands, urging me to speed my action up a bit. And I obliged. Now with the attack increased threefold, the Avatar hips buckled, her legs wrapped around my neck, trying to hump my face.

"Oh, Saudorn, oh! It feels... good! Oh, Spirits. Ah... Ah! More! Please, more! Ohhhh...", my girlfriend moaned loudly.

The process lasted about fourteen minutes, with Korra groaning and moaned out words similar to what she'd uttered earlier. At the end of the 'oral session', she climaxed tremendously while... squirting on my face! It was a success. But I guess I was lucky, as Korra was inexperienced and this was the first time someone performed cunnilingus on her, so she was super sensitive. Anyone could have made her squirt like she did, if he, or she, possessed oral sex skills like mine. Next time, it would be quite harder to make her squirt, but I loved challenges. After her climax died down, Korra unwrapped her legs, enabling me to take a breather, my face wet with her water, me watching her sighing in utter happiness, her eyes closed. Then, they snapped open and my girlfriend looked like she just recognized something. She gasped in horror as she saw my wet face.

"Oh, Spirits, no! I... I peed on your face! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!", she frantically apologized to me.

Laughing fairly aloud, I said:"No, you silly, you didn't pee on my face, you _squirt_ on my face".

"Squ-squirt on your face? What does that mean? Is it a different thing?". She bombarded me with questions.

"Yep, it's a different thing. Squirting means you just ejaculated fluid by the female prostate - glands located on the anterior wall of the vagina - through and around the female urethra during or before an orgasm. It's different from peeing, because the fluid you squirted out doesn't have smell, taste and color resembling those of pee", I explained to her.

After all that, the Avatar's face was just blank, evoking an amusing chuckle out of me. "Just don't dwell on it, sweetheart. When I tell you it's not pee, it's not pee. Anyway, you have a towel in here so I could dry my face?".

Immediately, my girlfriend directed me towards the traditional bedroom closet in a corner of the room, me taking out a fresh towel and dried my face. After that, I put the towel on the nightstand, returned to bed with Korra, sat against the wall as she moved to lie her head on my lap. Then, she giggled and spoke in a low voice:

"Wow, look at your pants. What is this thing? I wanna see-".

Before her hand could reach it, I stopped her gently and said:"Not now, Korra. That'll come later".

"Later?". She was disappointed. "But... I let you... you know? Why can't you let me? Or did you only care about getting in my pants?".

"Of course not, Korra! I love you and you know that".

"Then, let me see. Pretty please? I promise I'll just have a look at it". She pleaded me.

Looking down at her beautiful face, feeling her hot breath on my lap, I had no choice but to satisfy her curiosity. Gently telling her to sit up, I slowly unbuckled my belt, pulling both of my jeans and underwear down, revealing my pretty thick, 8'' long hard-on. At the sight of it, the young Avatar gasped, both impressed and horrified at the size of my cock. _This is nothing, sweetie, there are guys with bigger dicks than mine. But I'm enjoying your look of astonishment_. With fixed eagerness combined with nervousness, the Avatar touched my hot rod, slowly wrapping her fingers around it, making me exhale and grunted pretty loudly.

" 'I'll just have a look at it', huh?", I spoke haltingly, breathing sharply as Korra gripped my cock pretty hard.

"You didn't protest, though. Also, Spirits, your thing is big and feels... hot!" was her comeback, with a sly grin.

"Y-yeah. I guess... It's been...". I grabbed the bed's cover fairly tightly, teeth gritting. "... Too long!". I yelped in pain as Korra accidentally squeezed my dick too hard.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you". The young Avatar was mortified.

Grasping her hand lightly, I instructed her on how to give me a handjob properly, letting her stroking the rod up and down, grunting and moaning in pleasure. _Damn, this girl surely is a quick learner in this matter as well as in pro-bending._ While doing what I'd told her what to do, Korra's face moved towards my meat pole, her lips parted. _Oh Goodness, the look on her face's so sexy! Those lips... The head of my hard-on... No, it's not time yet! Snap out of it, Saudorn, this is for later, much later._ Quicky, I seized her right arm's bicep and pulled her crawling over my lap, kissing her fiercely. Titillated, the Avatar kissed back just as aggressively, accidentally sitting on the length of my rod, causing me to moan loudly into her mouth.

After that, Korra surprised me by swiftly grasping my cock, enthusiastically positioning it at her entrance, trying to get herself impaled but the thing slipping away from her vaginal opening. Immediately, she tried it again and failed again. Frustrated, she broke up the kiss, looked down, concentrated on putting my hard-on inside her. However, I grabbed my cock and pulled it away from her, stupefying her.

"What did you do that for? I want it inside me!", Korra spoke.

"No, you didn't. Your body, caught up in the heat of the moment, did", I replied calmly, "we didn't even talk about this, Korra".

"Did we have to?", the Avatar asked naively.

"Of course, we have to. It's called "having sex", and-".

"I know what having sex is, Mr. Know-It-All", she interrupted me, "Pema told me".

 _Pema told her? That's good to know. But that was not the point, really._

"That was not what I meant, Korra. I meant, this is a serious matter, which requires at least basic knowledge and the will to do it. Now, you may think you have the will to do it, but that's not it; that's 'what your body wants'. Also, you don't have much basic knowledge about having sex, I mean, not in the practical sense. So... I guess, me licking and sucking your clit and vagina and you stroking my rod are enough, for now".

"Well, but surely you can teach me all about having sex, right?", Korra responded with hope in her eyes.

"I don't know, Korra. I, uh... I promised Tenzin not to get in your pants after explaining to him what we were fighting about. Well, technically, I did get in your pants, but with my tongue and finger, not with my dick", I explained to her.

"I knew you would side with Tenzin no matter what happens. You did when he tried to stop me from going to Avatar Aang Memorial Island". Korra huffed in annoyance and disappointment, crossing her arms and looking away.

I sighed. _Great, we are beginning to fight each other again. This won't do. I have to give her something to cool her down. Maybe... let her suck my dick? No, that's not right, I don't want her to do that now. How about... please her with my tongue in her anus? Nah, she'll probably be grossed out. Or... tit-fuck her. Nope, she would put some licks upon the head of my dick. Hmm... Well... Oh yeah, how about letting her rub her pussy alongside my dick cowgirl style? I bet she'd love that!_

"I have an idea, sweetheart. You'll love it", I whispered in her ear seductively, leaning towards her, after sitting up straight.

At that, her eyes popped open right away. "Really?", she uttered excitedly. Then, realizing that she was not supposed to do that, she looked away again, eye closed, feigned being half-hearted. "I mean, really? What is it?".

"I'll let you rub your vagina along the length of my dick". Now I had her attention. "I'll show you what to be done".

With that, I told her to lift her body up a bit so that I could lie down on the bed. Then, I pushed my rod flat on my stomach, telling my Avatar girlfriend to waterbend a bit of water on my hard-on, then to sit on it, making sure that her pussy lips 'hugged' it. Following this, I instructed her to put her hands on my chest, using it to support her weight; after that, I directed her to started putting the pressure on my cock, rubbing her pussy along its length.

"Oh, yes, Korra, like that. Hmm... Oh". I grunted.

To ensure that my girlfriend feel pleasurable too, I grasped her breasts and played with them, kneading the nipples, prompting her to moan in delight and rubbing my length faster.

"Ah... Saudorn, this... this begins to feel... good. Ah, ah! Yes, I love it when you play with my nipples! Keep... doing it, please!", the Avatar uttered.

And, of course, I did; meanwhile, she picked up her speed, moaning and groaning louder. Afraid she would wake some female Air Acolytes up, I grabbed her neck with my right hand, pulling her down, kissing her passionately, muffling the sounds coming from her mouth, our tongues intertwined again. Twelve minutes later, Korra was still cowgirling me, sweating profusely ( _Goodness, I love looking at sweaty females_ ), one of her hands rested against the wall to support her highly explosive rubbing, with my hands holding onto her butt-cheeks, seeing to it that she kept going on 'til I cummed.

"Uh! Uh... H-how much... longer, Saudorn? I... I'm beginning to feel... tired. I just... I just orgasmed a few minutes ago", my girlfriend spoke haltingly, nearly exhausted.

"Mostly... there, Korra", gritting my teeth, I responded. "But if you want... to rest...", I added.

"No! I want to... finish this! I'll keep doing it 'til you... orgasm as well".

Soon after that, I felt the flood rising up my meat pole. Gasping, I informed my Avatar girlfriend that I was going to cum, and then... I did, shooting a really big load onto my stomach. Too tired to continue, Korra collapsed on top of me, making the load squish as her stomach connected with mine. With a sigh of merriment, I let Little Death ( whole-body numbness after a powerful orgasm ) guide me to sleep.

*Smut scene ends*

...

When I woke up, it was dawn. As soon as my eyes opened, I tried to remember what had happened the night before, and upon feeling the warmth from someone else's flesh on top of me, I had a pretty good idea about what'd happened. _So... the Avatar and I... finally connected, huh? Not really like a key inside a lock or a pencil inside a pencil sharpener, but still... Anyway, her flesh against mine feels great!_ Feeling appreciative about the body contact, I hugged my sleeping girlfriend warmly, yet not gently. Disturbed by my movement, Korra's body decided that it was time for her to wake up; upon seeing that I was awake, the young woman smiled groggily, looking up at me.

"Hey there, Handsome", she said in a low voice.

"Hey there, Beautiful", I replied, grinning happily.

Once she heard the word "beautiful", she blushed bright red. Then, she crawled upwards so her face was aligned with mine, and kissed me lightly, no tongue dancing, no exploring each other's mouth, just lips meeting lips. After that, she looked into my eyes and said:

"I love you, Saudorn".

"I love you too, Korra. Very much", I responded, gazing into her gorgeous blue eyes.

We kissed again right away. And then, Korra intended to get off me, lying next to me, when she detected some sticky substance on both my and her stomach, making her look kind of puzzled. She asked me what it was, to which I said that that was what left of the big load of semen I'd shot out during my climax the night before. Curious now, the Avatar touched the stuff on her stomach, bringing it to her nose and sniffed, commenting that it smelled pretty strong, though not unpleasant. I asked her if she liked to have a bath with me in the Women's Bathroom, causing Korra to think that I was insecure about the smell of my semen, her quickly assuring me that it didn't smell that bad. I chuckled aloud, telling her that I was offering her a shower session together, not being insecure or anything, making the Avatar blush in embarrassment. Swiftly, she agreed to my suggestion, both of us got dressed again, my girlfriend getting another pair of Water Tribe getup while in her old pants and my shirt, heading towards the Women's Bathroom, noticing some early-rising female Air Acolytes giggling at us along the way. Korra just ignored the giggling, telling them to tell others not to enter the Women's Bathroom at this time.

Once we were fairly near the place, seeing that it'd been snowing, I playfully slapped her ass, letting her know that she'd probably woken all the female Air Acolytes up the night before with her moans and groans; shocked by my action, the Avatar stared at me, mouth agape. Nevertheless, she recovered from that and quickly gave me a pretty hard punch to the left rib, 'accusing' me of being the one who'd done it, not her, laughing together with me at our feigning fight. As soon as we were inside the bathroom, fleetly, we stripped out of our clothes, attacking each other's mouth, directing ourselves towards the bathtub, filling it with hot and cold water mixed together, still kissing one another. Once the tub was nearly full, we got into it and relaxed, Korra leaning back-to-chest against me; that was when I decided to give her the long over-due explanation about my powers, my enemies, Esillith. Everything ( well, not exactly everything, like: Mostly everyone on Earth knows who she is via the Legend of Korra, and knows about the World of Benders very well. I just didn't want her to be creeped out, thinking about being watched all the time from another reality ). Just like I'd done with Tenzin ( without showing her my hellish memories about my time back on invaded Earth, of course ). Needless to say, the Avatar was both astounded and dismayed by the truth at the same time. Upon seeing her reaction, I stayed silent and let her processed all the information I'd just exposed to her. Finally, she was able to speak, still leaning against me:

"So... you say you are from another... reality. And you, somehow, created legions of monstrosities from pages... of a book. Now, your creations, your enemies, are hellbent on destroying this world... all because you tried to kill them off".

"Korra, listen to me... I know it's all my fault. But that's why I'm here, to help save this world from Zulathulhu, to help save _you_ from his forces". Sensing my girlfriend getting upset, I tried to reason with her. "I love you, I truly do. That's why I'm not giving up this world. Never".

"Well, you couldn't save me from your deranged ex-girlfriend, could you?" was all I got from her. _No, no, no, no! Please, Korra, don't do this to me!_

"I know you're angry, Korra. However, I didn't know Zulathulhu would resurrect my ex to torment me. Please, give me a second chance".

Now the Avatar turned around, facing me, her expression cold. "I did", she said, causing me to feel like I was punched hard in the stomach. "Yet, I still do. All you need to do is prove it. Prove it that you truly love me and that you truly want to save me, either from your creations or your demented ex-girlfriend".

With that, she rose and got out of the tub, bent all the water on her body away, changed into her new clothes and left the room, leaving me all alone like she did when I'd come to deliver her the dinner that night. I didn't know whether I should be happy that Korra'd given me a second chance or should be miserable because of her cold expression. The more I thought about it, the more teary-eyed I became. Subsequently, I couldn't help it anymore, holding my face in my hands, I sobbed like a faggot loser. Just when I was about to scream aloud in frustration as depression slowly crept up inside my mind, a gentle, feminine voice sounded, concerned:

"Are you alright, Saudorn?".

Startled, I looked up, turned towards the source of the voice and saw that it was Jinora standing next to the bathtub. _Ah, shit..._ Quickly, I tried to hide the sight of my crotch from Jinora, stammering:

"I, uh, I'm fine. It's just that something fell into my eyes while I was relaxing is all". _Fuck's sake, that was the shittiest lie in the history of lying, ever._

"You don't need to lie, I saw Korra walking out of the bathroom earlier. You can tell me what happened between you and her. I'll talk to her, I promise". She smiled warmly.

I hesitated, afraid that the girl wouldn't understand half of what I was gonna say to her. _And if she does, will she believe me?_ Seeing that I appeared hesitant, Tenzin's eldest urged me to begin, and so I told her about my revelation, walking her slowly through everything towards the moment when Korra'd turned glacial on me, me expressing my love for her and my desire to protect her and the World of Benders at any cost so as not to lose her. After I finished, Jinora hugged me pretty tightly, disregarding the physical state I was in, saying what a poor man I was, promising that she'd talk to the Avatar and see if she could make her understand the shit I'd gone through. Feeling a bit better, I returned the girl's hug, closing my eyes in reassurance. That was when I heard a loud gasp. Swiftly opening my eyes again, Tenzin's first daughter releasing me from her hug and turning around, we saw a female Air Acolyte standing there, eyes wide at the sight before her. Before we could say anything, the other young woman dashed out of the place. _I really hate it when I'm caught in ridiculous situations._

Rapidly explaining that she had to leave and see if the female Air Acolyte would blabber to anyone about what she'd seen, waving goodbye to me, Jinora left the room as well. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, I got out of the tub, guiding the water away from my body via my control over the microorganisms in the water, changing back into my clothes and returned to Korra's room. Once I was there, I didn't find my girlfriend inside. Immediately, I mentally searched for her presence on the island, yet she was nowhere to be found. _Guess she already left the island, maybe to the arena or something._ Slowly shaking my head, I was headed towards the dining hall for breakfast. I asked a male Air Acolyte sitting at a table next to the one I'd occupied where I could get the meal, realizing that he was one of the guys who had 'helped' me and Korra with my wrestling lessons. Upon seeing who he was directed to, the young Air Acolyte instantly told me to wait here while he went to get me breakfast, eagerly getting up and strolling off.

When He Cen was back, he put a tray of meal down on my table, quickly moving his meal to the new place, sitting opposite me. Wasting no time, he asked me over breakfast what had happened the night before and this morning, to which I was confused, not understanding what he meant. He Cen explained that everybody knew I carried the Avatar back to her room from whatever'd occured on Avatar Aang Memorial Island; and about this morning, he said that he saw Korra leave the Air Temple, not looking happy at all, yet she was not angry either, she was like, cold and distant. Nodding with understanding, I told him that Amon and his Equalist fighters had ambushed Korra at the other island; luckily for her, she was saved by an ally of mine ( and talk about Azara, I hadn't found her either [ but I'd found Tenzin though ], while scanning this whole island for Korra. She'd probably departed after talking to Tenzin ), and I was able to bring her back to this place so that she could rest and heal. About Korra being cold and distant, I told him that it was personal and hoped he wouldn't mind when I chose not to discuss things happening between me and Korra. After finishing breakfast, I asked He Cen once again about where the kitchen was, indicating that I wanted to have the things washed, then went to see Tenzin right after; nevertheless, the guy told me that he'd take care of all that, gently shooing me away, saying goodbye to me.

Six minutes later, I was inside the councilman's study, asking him if he'd seen Korra this morning or not. He replied that he had, intending to inquire her where she was going but detected a change in her demeanor, deciding that he would wait for me in the study and inquire me instead. I haltingly told Tenzin that after waking up, I'd resolved to tell Korra about my secrets while having a bath with her, causing Tenzin to stare at me in disbelief. Immediately, I apologized to Tenzin, telling him that I hadn't tried to get in her pants ( tongue and finger still don't count, okay? ), and that we did it because we were in love with each other. The councilman nodded, understanding how I felt, explaining that he felt the same towards Pema. Nonetheless, Tenzin wanted to know why Korra and I had had another fight, prompting me to say that we didn't really had a fight. It was more like... a one-sided cold war! And the ultimatum was: I had to prove to her that I truly loved her and that I truly wanted to save her from either Zulathulhu's forces or Sojana. She didn't tell me what to do exactly, but I already knew what she'd required of me: Truly being her guardian.

Tenzin stroked his beard, pondering about what I'd said. Subsequently, he said that me being her guardian was definitely the only way to help the Avatar feel safe and supplement her airbending training, meaning that I had to stay here on Air Temple Island indefinitely. And that also meant that Azara didn't have to keep an eye on Korra anymore; in fact, she would be my new mentor and sister-in-arms from now on, as Esillith had to help his forces in a very very intense campaign to liberate the rest of a reality already under Zulathulhu's forces' control. The councilman pronounced that he would inform Azara about this new development between me and Korra. Next, Tenzin informed me that Azara had told him many things about the war outside the World of Benders and the skirmishings and political missions she'd participated in as well, explaining that even though the people of the World of Benders didn't know about the Great War yet, they were already joining the fight against a new malicious force hellbent on annihilating anything in its path. Therefore, any conflict upon this world backed up by Zulathulhu's hellspawns would automatically a battle for peace and order, not for this world, but for all realities too, leading him to the fact that Korra's sudden selfish need of a guardian coincide with the progress of the war. After all, she and I were this world only hope to survive and triumph the continuous and brutal onslaughts which our enemies would unleash upon.

After that, Tenzin and I continued to discussed tactics and strategies for the coming war on this world. As the discussion continued 'til noon, both I and the councilman were pretty mentally tired, having too many things to worry about. We decided to call it a day. Before I left the study, I asked Tenzin to let me call the hotel, telling Tanna that I would stay on Air Temple Island indefinitely, receiving the reply that I had to return to the hotel to check out because I hadn't done it when I asked Tanna to move my belongings to the temple. I responded that I would do that this afternoon, after I checked on Korra to see if she was okay, having sensed her presence back here. When I disconnected the call, I notified Tenzin that Korra had returned and that I would go talk to her, earning a nod from him.

After leaving the study, I was headed towards the direction of a colony of ring-tailed winged lemurs, manipulating the microorganisms around me to produce fire, keeping me warm amidst the cold weather. Once I reached the destination, I saw Korra talking with Jinora and Ikki, feeding the lemurs fruit. As I approached them, Ikki was speaking rapidly:

"No, no, no! The best way to win a man's heart is to brew a love potion of rainbows and sunsets that makes true lovers sprout wings and fly into a magical castle in the sky, where they get married and eat clouds with spoons and use stars as ice cubes in their moonlight punch. Forever and ever and ever!". She airbent upward in a circular motion out of excitement.

 _Uh... did I just hear 'magical castle in the sky'?_

"The volcano is starting to make more sense to me now", the Avatar replied.

"Hey, girls, how are you doing today?", I greeted them.

Upon seeing me, Korra's expression turned cold again. _Whatever happened to 'to win a boy's heart', I don't even know._ "Hey, Saudorn", she greeted back half-heartedly.

Before I could appease to her reason and make her feel warm towards me again, Ikki pointed at the flames around me, exclaiming:

"Wow, look at all the flames, so cool! You are a firebender!".

I chuckled. "Actually, Ikki, I'm not a firebender, I just have the ability to control microorganisms, making them do whatever I want", I explained to the girl.

"What are microohganisome?", the girl inquired naively.

"It's 'micro-or-gasni-sms', Ikki. And they are these super, super small living beings, so small that the naked eyes cannot see. To be able to see them, you have to look into a, uh...". _How do I explain to her about the microscope?_ "A magicscope!".

"So... they are actually... spirits? You can control spirits?". The girl sounded excitedly astounded.

 _Spirits?_ Suddenly, I had another flashback from Book 2 of the Legend of Korra: Dark Spirits, spirits, the Spirit World, a guy named Unalaq, what looked like a black-red kite named Vaatu, and... a white-blue kite named Raava. _Ohhh... Spirits! Okay, spirits._

"Actually, they are not spirits, honey. They are a part of this material world, just so small that you can't see is all", I said.

"Then do you have a magicscope? I wanna see one!".

 _I shouldn't have used 'magicscope', I shouldn't have used it at all._ I stammered, not knowing what to say. Next, I heard someone giggle behind us. I turned around and saw that it was Pema.

"Hi, Saudorn", she greeted me.

"Oh, hi, Pema", I greeted her back. "I was just... entertaining Ikki with, uh... a funny story!".

"I know all about microorganisms, Saudorn. But I have to admit, the way you tell Ikki about them was indeed funny".

 _Well, ain't that nice?_ Afterwards, Korra greeted Pema and asked her how long she'd been standing behind all of us, to which Tenzin's wife replied that she'd stood there long enough to hear Korra, Jinora and Ikki talk about how to win a man's heart.

"But trust me, I know what you're going through. Years ago I was in the exact the same situation, with Tenzin", Pema was saying.

Ikki was suprised. "Daddy was in love with someone else before you?", she inquired incredulously.

"That's right". Pema nodded, smiling.

"So what did you do?", Korra asked.

"Well, for the longest time, I did nothing. I was so shy and scared of rejection, but watching my soul mate spend his life with the wrong woman became too painful. So I hung my chin out there and I confessed my love to Tenzin. And the rest is history", Pema explained.

And the three girls uttered a "Wooow!" in awe and amazement. Later, everyone was on the way to the family dining room to have lunch, and Korra was still distant to me. I asked Jinora whether she'd talked to Korra or not, to which she responded that she had, and the Avatar said that she would think about it. But I knew she didn't. However, she said that she still gave me a second chance, so maybe this was her testing my love for her. _So be it, Korra, I won't disappoint you. I promise._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	16. Chapter 14

**Note: This chapter contained a short smut scene and coarse language, reader discretion advised. I don't own the song The Hammer by Motörhead, and I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XIV - The Tournament**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

"Folks, after a year of waiting the Pro-bending Championship is finally here", Shiro Shinobi the Commentator announced, "tonight is the first set of matches in our single elimination sixteen team bracket. And I gotta tell ya, these are the most tenacious and talented bending trios this arena has ever seen".

I was standing on the balcony together with Tanna and Anyu, looking towards the Fire Ferrets heading out to the playing field.

The ring announcer began to introduce the first team:"Introducing our first team, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!".

Immediately, there were cheers by the crowd everywhere. I gotta admit I was quite happy to see the Fire Ferrets get the attention they deserved. Mako and Bolin worked ( or played ) their asses off to make their dream come true: To win the Pro-Bending Championship for the first time ever. However, I was still really suspicious about Hiroshi agreeing to sponsor the team, thus changing its name as well. Not that I complained about the lengthy name, it sounded pretty cool to me; yet the fact that I hadn't be able to read Asami's father's thoughts was troublesome. I had told Azara about it this afternoon, when she came to reside on Air Temple Island to make it more convenient to mentor me and to help keep an eye on both Korra and Tenzin's family as well. You ask and I'll say: It was Esillith's new order for Azara. He'd said that the airbending family's survival was very important to the World of Benders; even though Korra didn't tell anybody about Agrigula's order for Sojana to research on Tenzin and airbending, yet ( yeah, I knew about that because I could read her mind ), there was no guarantee that our enemies wouldn't try to eliminate the whole airbending family. Therefore, Azara would need to share her eye-keeping task with me. Anyway, once Azara heard what I had to say, she replied that she was going to need another extra set of eyes on Hiroshi and she didn't know for sure if Esillith would send any reinforcement ( be it a one-person or multiple-people reinforcement ) given the ever-increasing intenseness of the battles outside the World of Benders.

When there seemed to be no other solution available, one presented itself in the form of Tanna and Anyu, who came to meet the Avatar before the tournament match tonight. After the introduction between Azara and the two young women ( with Tanna looking pretty jealous that I seemed to be surrounded by beautiful women xD ), I asked Tanna why she was there and not at the hotel, because technically her shift was not even over yet, to which she responded that the hotel manager was a pro-bending fan and he allowed everybody to take two nights off to watch the first and last match of the tournament; so both Tanna and Anyu were free for the night. After that, Azara immediately asked Anyu if she could do her and me a favor, keeping tabs on Hiroshi Sato to see what he did everyday; I, of course, quickly objected to such suggestion. I would not allow a friend of mine to risk her life spying on a suspicious person who could turn out to be dangerous, not even if Anyu was a master waterbender like Katara. Both Anyu and Tanna didn't understand a single word I and Azara said, intending to find out just what was going on, when Tanna spotted Korra walking towards us, curious about what the male Air Acolytes commented on Azara's appearance. Fleetly, the two young women rushed to the Avatar and fangirled so crazily that I thought they would chew Korra's head off if she refused to sign on Anyu's pictures of the young Avatar which were meticulously cut out from the newspapers. Dazed by the fangirling, Korra had no choice but to sign the pictures. Next, the young Avatar was both amused and jealous at the same time when she heard that Tanna and Anyu were my friends ( and, of course, she was more jealous when Azara presented herself to her as my mentor ), asking them where and when they had met me, to which Azara confidently told her that she'd met me at the village resort, while Tanna stammered, quite mortified, not knowing if she should tell Korra about how she and I, uh, "bonded" and became friends. To save her from the situation, I intervened and told Korra that we'd met over breakfast the second day I was in this world, talking about all the stuff happening in the past ( which was pretty much true ), earning, of course, a glacial glare from my Avatar girlfriend.

Feeling annoyed, Korra politely took leave, saying that she had to go practice her airbending. Later, at dinner time, I, Azara, Tanna, Anyu, Tenzin's family and Korra were inside the dining room, eating and talking, with the kids asking my female friends and mentor all sorts of questions, from awkward to embarrassing ones. But most awkward of all was Meelo thinking he could score a girlfriend from the three women, causing Tenzin to facepalm for so many times. Unlike Tenzin, Pema was not either embarrassed or bothered by the boy's attitude at all; in fact, she thought Meelo was just being cute ( ahhh, if only all mothers were like Pema ). After all that, Korra, I, Tanna and Anyu were ready to depart for the arena; sadly, Azara wouldn't be able to join us because she said she'd received several messages from many of Esillith's Legions partaking in the war, seeking counsels/opinions from the Great Being's 33rd daughter ( as might be expected, Azara didn't tell everyone about that last bit of information, for now ). Now I don't need to tell you what happened next, let's just focus on the match! For it was about to begin...

"And their opponents, the Red Sands Rabaroos!", the ring announcer finished his introduction for the teams.

And the match started.

"What an explosive opening volley. Both teams quickly recover and unleash a barrage of bending!", Shiro was saying, "I am astonished with the level of improvement displayed here by the Fire Ferrets. No wonder the Avatar has been absent from the papers lately". Yeah, about that... "She's obviously had her nose to the grindstone in the gym. The Ferrets advance into Rabaroo territory and are holding nothing back. Nice sprawl there by Mako. Bolin strikes, Ula dodges, and all three Rabaroos are down. The Fire Ferrets easily take round one!".

Everyone cheered for the Fire Ferrets, including Tanna and Anyu, who shouted excitedly, nearly deafening my right ear. I clapped enthusiastically, smiling, nodding approval at Mako's team.

"Round two!", the ring announcer announced.

"The Rabaroos are looking for payback and they go straight after Bolin", Shiro commented, "Korra comes to his defense and water-whacks Umi back into zone two! The Ferrets are on fire tonight and they win round two!". _Verry, very nice._

"Round three!".

"With the Rabaroos down two rounds they'll need a knockout to win, and with the way the Fire Ferrets are playing, I don't see that happening. These Ferrets are working together like a well-oiled bending machine". _Bending machine, ha ha._ "Bolin passes Adi back into zone two and the Ferrets get the green light to advance. The Rabaroos are just fighting to stay at their feet at this point. Out goes Adi, and Ula, and Umi!".

"All three rounds go to the Future Industries Fire Ferrets to win the opening match of the tournament!", the ring announcer concluded.

Out in the playing field, the Fire Ferrets cheered. Tanna and Anyu were, needless to say, beyond excited, shouting and shaking me crazily.

"Did you see that, Saudorn? Did you see that? They were so amazing!", Tanna exclaimed.

"Yeah, they played like pro! Well, I mean I know they are pro, but... you know what I meant!". Anyu added.

"Okay, okay! They were and are awesome. Stop shaking me!". I tried to free my receptionist friend's grip on my shoulder.

Once Mako's team returned to the locker room, my female friends greeted them like heroes, dazing both Korra and Mako with fangirling, yet Bolin was not even affected by it, he got excited along with them, especially when Anyu was near him! That was when I had an idea. _Bolin and Anyu... Now that'd be cool._ When Bolin and the young women were talking in the middle of the room and Mako was talking to Korra, I politely interrupted them and told Mako I wanted to talk to Korra a bit. Not smiling but not being grumpy either, the team captain nodded simply and walked towards his locker.

"What do you want?", Korra asked me coolly.

Despite her attitude, I smiled warmly and said:"I just want to say that you were astonishing out there tonight, Korra. I'm proud of you".

"Yeah, sure, no problem" was her reply.

"So, I was thinking we should spend some time, aside from the, uh, bare state, together", I suggested nervously.

"I... don't know". Korra hesitated, her icy look softened a little. "I still need to concentrate on airbending training".

"I know". I gently put my hands on her shoulders. _That you was re-using a lame excuse to avoid me, Avatar Korra._ "But don't force it on yourself too much. You need time to relax, and to... let me prove my love for you".

"Well, but I'm the Avatar and I need to-".

"Look, I really love you and and I think we are meant for each other!", I spoke quickly.

"Saudorn, I'm really sorry, but I just don't feel like it now". Korra looked away.

 _Rejected. Korra 1 - Saudorn 0._

"Korra...". I called her name haltingly as she walked away towards the bench and sat down.

It hurt pretty much when Bolin, Mako, Tanna and Anyu witnessed our conversation; however, I had no choice but to suck it up and kept a straight face. Both Tanna and Anyu came to me, intending to talk to me when Asami walked into the room with Pabu on her shoulder.

"Congratulations, guys! You were so amazing out there".

She, then, came to Mako and kissed him on his cheek, causing both Korra and Bolin cringe while I glanced at the lovebird with jealousy. Next, my focus was broken when Tanna said to me:

"Wow. That could... that could have gone better".

"I guess". I sighed. "I hate complicated shit sometimes".

"Complicated shit?". Both Tanna and Anyu were confused.

"I'll explain all to you guys when I can. Not now though".

Anyu touched my right shoulder lightly. "It's all right, Saudorn, you'll explain to us when you want to. We understand". She turned to her bff. "Right, Tanna?", she inquired the receptionist.

"Absolutely! We can wait". The other young woman grinned, making me smile back at her.

That was when I heard Bolin exclaim:"Yes! Who's the luckiest guy in the world? Right here, Bolin!".

 _Luckiest guy in the world? No... Korra, you didn't..._ I stared at the young Avatar as she exited the room with Bolin. When I looked back at my female friends, I saw that they were completely shocked. I glanced at Mako and he was giving me a stare that could kill, not that I was bothered by that, 'cause I knew Mako could never be much of my opponent in a fight. Shortly after that, Asami turned from Mako to me and my friends and apologized them both for not seeing them earlier, introducing herself, surprising the heck outta them. Unlike their attitude towards the Avatar, Tanna and Anyu were more subtly excited, discovering that they were in the presence of the daughter of the head of Future Industries Corporation, eagerly shaking her hand, beginning a conversation with her. As the gals were chatting freely about rich people stuff ( well, Asami was rich but she was cool in my book ), Mako approached me and said:

"I don't know what in damnation happened between you and Korra, but you'd better fix it quick. She's using my brother to get back at you and I don't wanna see my brother being used like a pawn between you two, you understand?".

"Like I really needed to get your brother involved, Mako", I countered quietly, "you should blame Korra. Anyway, you're right about one thing: I gotta fix 'what in damnation' happened between me and her".

When I finished my sentence, I joined the girls and made them talk about something else, Mako following me suit. Around forty-five minutes later, seeing that it was gonna be late, I told everyone that I needed to get back to Air Temple Island, saying goodbye to Tanna, Anyu and Asami. Once I was back on the island, I sat cross-legged near the stonesteps leading to the temple, awaiting Korra. Fifteen minutes later, the Avatar showed up, walking up the steps; upon seeing her, I fleetly stood up, making the White Lotus guards' mind become blank for a short period of time so they wouldn't eavesdrop on me and Korra.

"What kind of game were you playing?", I asked her, trying to stay calm.

She looked confused. "Uh... Pro-bending? I've got the quarterfinal match tomorrow".

"No, I mean with Bolin. You've got him all in a tizzy and I know you're only using him to get back at me... talking with Tanna and Anyu".

"I am not, we're just having fun together. What do you care, anyway?".

"I do care, Korra. We are still boyfriend/girlfriend, remember?". I replied.

Korra sneered. "And yet you're still not going crazy over the fact that I dated Bolin. You really are something, aren't you?".

"I'm not gonna do that, and you know why".

"Good. Then, if you don't mind, I need to go sleep now". Korra walked past me. "And keep on proving yourself. Maybe I'll change my mind", she quickly added.

I sighed heavily as I kept looking at her 'til she was gone. _Was that the right way to deal with her? Should I have gone bananas on her? Should I have used some force or verbal fight to remind her that she's my girlfriend? Hele- I mean, Sonja loved some rough treatment, but... that was Sonja. And Korra... No, I love her too much. More than Helena, more than Sonja. I won't repeat the same mistakes I made. I will turn Korra back to me using the method I believe is right._ Closing my eyes, feeling determined, I released my control over the White Lotus guards and was headed towards my room, hoping to get some peaceful sleep.

...

 _I can't believe she just dumped me and chose Anthony Jack as her new boyfriend. It's an outrage!_ I was driving my Ford, speeding through Toronto like a maniac, to Anthony Jack's house, where he was hosting a party. _I have to get Sonja back before it's too late!_

I didn't like it when Sonja got in touch with despicable dregs of society, especially one like Tony the Jackass, who loved snorting coke, fucking wasted girls and recording the whole thing. Sonja loved rough treatment. She could implant wrong ideas into his head, changing him for the worse. But it'd be even worse when it changed her too. They could be Charles and female fuckin' Leonard! Though I was angry at Sonja for suggesting me such horrible, sado-sexual things earlier, I knew deep down I still cared for her; so there was no way I would let her fall into the disgusting claws of that cumstained miscreant.

Once I parked outside Anthony Jack's den, I reached the glove compartment, opened it and put a flashbang inside my jacket's pocket and a Beretta inside my inner jacket pocket. _It's nice to have an 'illegal' friend who looks out for me._ Next, I opened the car door and stepped outside, deliberately fastening my jacket's zipper to keep myself warm from the late-autumn, nightly wind, concentrating on blocking the loud noises that they called 'music' from getting in my head, approaching the house. There were people outside chatting, drinking, making out, but none looked good-natured and had an ounce of self-respect. Quietly, I walked past the human worms, ignoring some's attention on me, opening the door and entering the house. Inside, the noises were even louder, and the 'people' were much bolder, snorting coke, drinking while fucking, watching snuff movies and shit.

Looking around, I tried to find Sonja, not seeing her anywhere near the worms. Deciding to explore the house a bit, I wandered the ground floor and the basement, discovering more sick scenes, not bothering to linger to find out what exactly they were doing. After that, I went upstairs, checking every room 'til I heard multiple sounds of moaning and grunting and flesh contacting flesh; immediately, I opened the door violently, disrupting... a BDSM orgy of about seven individuals, including Sonja, who were naked, wearing a strap-on, sandwiching a bound girl together with the Jackass on the bed. _Thank Goodness she still assumes the Dominatrix role, not submissive slave yet._

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join our little orgy", Sonja spoke amusedly.

"So this is that loser boyfriend of yours who you were blabbering so much about?", Anthony Jack asked Sonja.

"The one and on-".

Before my girlfriend could finish her sentence, I closed the door, locked it, taking out the flashbang, holding it discreetly to make everybody think that it's a hand grenade, speaking aloud:

"Nobody moves, or there will be a big ka-boom and we all will die".

And every person in the room froze.

"Sonja, get off that fuckin' strap-on, get off your horny ass, get dress, then we'll get the hell outta here", I directed my girlfriend.

"Just what the fuck you thi-", Anthony was saying.

"Shut the fuck up, motherfucker", I interrupted him, "another word and there won't be any pleasure and coke for your cock and nose holes, understand?". I turned to Sonja. "Well, let's go!".

Swiftly, my girlfriend did what I told her and approached me. Then, I told her to open the door, slowly backing out of the room. At the door's threshold, I sneered.

"By the way, it's a 'bang', not a 'ka-boom' ". I tossed the flashbang into the room, grasping Sonja's arm and led her out of the house, hearing a loud 'bang', not looking back, opening the back car door for my girlfriend once we were near the Ford, both of us getting inside the car, closing the doors.

Two minute later, we were pretty far away from the hellden. Quickly, Sonja reached the passenger seat and sat down next to me, seat belting herself, looking at me and grinned excitedly.

"That was awesome!", she exclaimed, "I felt like we were inside an action movie! Saudorn, you really know how to excite a girl".

I stayed silent while Sonja babbled on and on about what'd just happened. Then, suddenly, she hugged my right arms tightly, startling the shit out of me, causing the car to slightly be out of control; immediately, I shook my arm fiercely, pushing Sonja away and assuming control of the vehicle once again. Next, I backhanded her violently right in her face, threatening to give her more than that if she continued to keep talking and acting childishly, endangering us both. Sonja grinned satisfiedly, wiping away the blood from her nose, and complied, making me sigh heavily in frustration. Once I drove past the highway, I parked the car briefly on the right of the road, next to the right-handed sidewalk, turning off the ignition, silently checking Sonja's nose, taking out a small first aid kit from the glove compartment, quickly ripping a medium chunk of cotton wool out of the bigger one and gently cleaning the blood which kept seeping out from my girlfriend's nose and some on her hands. After that, I ripped out two other chunks, much smaller, lightly putting them not too tightly in her nose. For a moment there, I thought the Sonja personality retreated and let the Helena one emerge as I saw her looking at me with a soft expression on her face. However, that mischievous grin appeared again, annoying the hell outta me. I spoke, restarting the car and drove away:

"And you know how to turn your boyfriend into a crazy bastard".

"You know I didn't do it just for kicks, right? I just want to make sure that you still love me is all". _You gotta be kidding me, Sonja._ "By the way, thanks for the, uh, nose business".

"Okay, I take back what I said about myself. You're crazy".

"Well, you're crazy, I'm crazy, just like the Joker and Harley Quinn!", Sonja exclaimed again, yelping lightly because of the pain in her nose, "we are sooo a cute couple. Anyway, talking about 'cute', did you think about it?".

 _Here we go again._ "I'm not going to cut you while having sex with you, okay? But if you love rough treatment so much, I'll tie you to a chair and prick your ass with heated needles while tit-fucking you. Happy?".

Upon hearing that, Sonja gave me a "Yaay!" and a "I love your creativity!", grabbing hold of my right arm again, only affectionately this time, prompting me to shout at her, telling her to let go or we both would die in a car accident. Sonja gave me another grin; after that, I felt her hand on my crotch, pulling my jeans' zipper down. Sighing in defeat, I grabbed the back of her neck and guided her towards her destination, feeling her free my cock, fleetly and hungrily sucking on it like she was really famished, and by sucking on my cock, she'd no longer feel the hunger anymore. It was getting really late as I drove us towards our house, occasionally looking out the car window, enjoying the night scenes... and the pleasurable sensation between my loins. As Sonja's head bobbed up and down faster and faster, using her tongue and throat muscles to add to the pleasure, I felt the urge to cum rose, so I tried to suppress it to last a bit longer. After about twelve minutes, I couldn't suppress it anymore, cumming like crazy, shooting rope after rope of cum down her throat. That was when I felt pretty sleepy, my eyelids slowly closing down. I tried to fight it, but it was futile. There was only blackness as my eyes were completely closed. I was falling into a dark oblivion. Then... a painful sensation jolted me up from sleep!

With a loud yelp, my eyes shot open, me sitting up and seeing... Azara between my legs, my cock inside her mouth?! Before I could speak, she rushed towards my face, locking lips with me, making me taste my own semen, and using her weight to push me down onto the bed. Rapidly, I pushed her away, hissing:

"What the hell did you think you were doing? And... and... did you just bite my dick?".

Giving me a mischievious smile, Azara replied:"That was for sleeping naked, Mr. Oh-So-Sexy. And, yes, I just bit your dick. Now get out of bed, make yourself look decent, then I'll teach you how to use Hejusha. Meet me at the airbending training area in five minutes. Also, if you want to have breakfast soon, you should hurry your ass, it's 8:00 a.m. already".

Before I could spit out a smart remark, the used-to-be-a-massager woman ( or cosmic being in the form of a human woman, whatever ) kissed me on the cheek and got off me, fleetly exiting the room. _If Korra knew about this, it'd be a goddamn catastrophe! Can't believe this shit._ After about fourteen minutes of putting on my clothes, walking towards the Men's Bathroom, doing the hygiene stuff and walking towards the airbending training area, I was ready for my... whipping training. Upon seeing me approaching, Azara, wearing the same ( or an identical ) outfit which she'd worn while saving my girlfriend back on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, spoke aloud with high spirit, taking out her whip:

"Ah, there you are, my young pupil. Time to shape you into a serious ass-whipper".

"Uhm... Azara, I think I don't really need to learn how to use a whip when I already-", I was saying.

All of a sudden, I heard a pretty loud crack, and my throat was secured pretty tightly by the whip. Next, I was pulled fowards, fall down on the ground on all fours.

"You were saying?". I looked up to see a smirking Azara holding the whip up high with one hand, assuming a fighting stance. "Do you want to fight me using your powers?", she teased me.

A bit angry, I stood up, jerking the whip towards me, forming a rock-like object with the microorganisms and threw it at Azara. Rapidly, the woman pulled the whip back, letting go of my throat, dodging the object with a ballet-like movement, retracting the whip into a coil and grasping it. Then, we circled around cautiously, finding each other's unprotected areas. _Damn, she leaves no place unguarded, no place at all. Guess I have to use fake movements to take her out._ With that thought, I formed a bunch of spikes, throwing them towards my female mentor, rushing at her, continuing to form and throw spikes forwards, prompting her to dodge all of them flexibly. Once I was near her, we engaged in a hand-to-hand combat, resulting in me almost getting a swiping kick across the jaw, somersaulting backwards, creating a halberd out of thin air, engaging her again, missing her every time. However, because of my aggressive strikes, Azara was being driven into a corner of the ying-and-yang hexagonal platform; therefore, I got another chance to take her out. When my female mentor was certainly cornered, I intended to break the halberd into three parts and reform the two handle pieces into two spikes, then I'd hurl them all at her.

That was when, out of the blue, Azara struck forwards with her whip, making it wrap around my left ankle, yanking towards her, causing me to fall flat on my back. Next, I saw her quickly approach me, intending to secure me for good, but I swiftly- _Shit, I can't move! What the hell?_ I looked down on my body and saw that it was covered by the same greyish halo that'd appeared around Korra's wounds while Esillith's daughter healed her; I also saw my 'opponent' place her right knee gently, yet firmly on my chest.

"Do you yield, my handsome pupil?", she teased me again.

"And do you yield too, my beautiful mentor?". I chuckled, looking towards her right temple, where there was a fist near it, which I'd formed with my mind.

"Using your mind as a last resort instead of using it right from the beginning, you sure are one of a kind, Saudorn", Azara threw a light-hearted sarcastic remark towards me, "alright, I yield, Mr. Calculated Mind". She stood up, removing her knee on my chest, making the halo disappear, enabling me to be able to move about again, offering me her hand.

"Then, I yield too, Mistress Out-Of-Nowhere". I grinned, grasping her hand and let her pull me up to my feet swiftly, looking at her walking back towards the center of the platform. _Wow, she's strong, much stronger than Korra._

Once Azara reached the spot, she turned around and beckoned me to approached her; then, with a slightly stern voice, she spoke:

"Our little showdown earlier had shown you that not every power-based individual can always win in a fight against a non-power opponent, as you could see via the feud between Superman and Lex Luthor or Batman. However, Hejusha is NOT a normal whip, so don't assume it's just you who do all the work. Technically, even with a normal weapon, you don't have to do all the work yourself. And before you ask me why I didn't tell you earlier, I'll tell you why: It's a lesson about keeping your head calm and level. There is no worthless opponents before you engage them, only after. Sure, using your sharp perception, you may calculate whether your opponent is worthy or not, but it's just your perception. No, your perception doesn't count! In battle, if you allow your perception or opinions cloud your judgment, you'll pay it with your life! Thus, today I teach you how to use Hejusha not for you to be able to use her, but for you to think like her".

Releasing the rest of the whip, holding it pretty tightly by its handle, Azara lashed it, letting it make a cracking noise, then continued her lesson.

"A whip, when lashed, moves flexibly and unexpectedly, not allowing your opponent to guess exactly where it strikes, even its amateur owner. Hence, to master the whip, you, first, have to master the way it thinks, expecting its opinions upon you. As long as you lash yourself using the whip, it thinks you suck, and it thinks you're a useless piece of shit. And a useless piece of shit won't last two seconds fighting a war to restore peace and order, no matter how powerful he/she thinks he/she is! To make a whip your weapon, you have to discipline yourself, forget who you are and start anew". Azara cracked the whip again, making me swallow uncomfortably. "From now on, each time I train you, each time you keep in mind that you're a nobody! And when I'm through with you, that's when you're allowed to think you're better than an ant. Do you get me?!".

"I get you, ma'am!", I shouted aloud.

"Good. Now, I'll show you the basics: How to hold the whip correctly". My female mentor approached me and tossed the whip's handle at me so fast that I caught it very clumsily with my hands. "Show me how you think you should hold it", Azara ordered me.

"Uh, ma'am... Didn't you say my percepti-".

"Now I say use it and you use it! What are you, Jimmy Dumbo?", my mentor snarled at me.

Quickly, I gripped the handle the way I saw people gripping weapons in movies about ancient times. Upon seeing the way I held the handle, Azara made a 'tsk' sound with her mouth, snatching the thing away from my hand.

"No, no, no, no. No. That's not the way you do it. First, you have to plant your feet shoulder-width apart, like this". She kicked my feet apart. "Next, hold it with a firm business handshake". She demonstrated how she held the handle. "Now do what I did", she ordered me again.

Catching the handle nicely this time, I gripped the handle the way she'd done, earning a nod of approval from her. After that, she instructed me:

"Now I'll show you the whip's parts. You already knew what the handle is. This is the ring knot, to separate the handle from the rest of the whip". She pointed to the knot above where I held the handle. "The part from near the ring knot to the fall keeper knot is called 'thong'. This is the fall keeper knot, to bind the fall to the thong. The fall is usually the portion of the whip used to cut, strike, or tie the target". She pointed to the other parts. "Time to put the whip in starting position, with the forward crack. Place it trailing straight back behind you, perpendicular to your hips, and make sure it doesn't catch on your leg or hip as you bring it up into the snapping position". I slowly did just that. "Good. After that, you'll practice smoothly bringing the whip straight up in the air. All other whip crack moves are based on the basic forward whip crack. With the whip held firmly in your hand, bring your arm straight up to the 12 o'clock position, as if you were pointing at the sky. Keep your elbow locked on the up motion, keeping your arm straight. To crack the whip, let your elbow bend naturally and snap your arm down firmly in front of you, keeping the whip clear of your body. The practice shouldn't be an abrupt or jerky motion, it should follow the natural motion of your arm". Azara took the whip from my hand, staying away a bit, and demonstrated what she'd instructed me.

She approached me, gave me the whip, telling me to practice it for five minutes. Afterwards, she said:

"Next part, to create the "loop": The reason the whip cracks is because one part of the whip is traveling in one direction along a straight plane while the other end of the whip is traveling in the opposite direction. This is called the "loop". When you bring the handle of the whip straight up, at the apex, the end of the whip will still probably be close to the ground and traveling up. As you bring the handle down, the end of the whip moves toward the point where the handle used to be, and will "crack" as you abruptly change direction. Remember, maintaining this loop is essential to making good whip cracks. It helps to make sure you've got the whip in the right starting position". She demonstrated again. "Show me what you've got from my demonstration".

I did, at first, not quite right; then, I kept doing it for another five minutes, getting from light to pretty serious lashes all over my body, earning stern yells from my mentor. Soon after, Azara taught me about cracking variations: the overhand crack ( whip laid in front of you ) and the sidearm crack ( starting position is similar to the forward crack, yet this motion resembles the motion used to skip stones across a body of water ). All this took about twenty minutes. Following that, Azara told me to practice all three variations, which took about thirty-five minutes, me sensing pretty many presences around, watching the training process, including Tenzin, his three children and Korra; nevertheless, the Avatar didn't linger there for long, departing after a few minutes of watching, making me look around for her, distracted a little, earning a stern snarl from Azara.

Finally, when I was done, I was allowed to have breakfast in the dining hall, with my female mentor and Tenzin sitting at the table I used to put my meal upon. During the breakfast, Tenzin commented about Azara's method of teaching discipline, finding it both fascinating and very harsh at the same time, to which she laughed and replied that it was nothing compared to other kinds of training. Shortly after, we talked about Amon, his Equalist organization and Agrigula and his Legion of War. My female mentor said that lately she didn't find any news about the 'Alliance', voicing her concern about what they were up to. I replied that maybe they were biding their time to strike, probably towards the end of the tournament, though I was not sure about that. Agrigula was a very cunning strategist, capable of waiting for a very long time before taking the offensive against his enemy ( that was how he was able to bring down Canada, northern U.S. , and China, respectively during the invasion of Earth ). He was an opportunist, but what made him very dangerous was his ability to calculate opportunities, determining which one had a long-term benefit, which one had a short-term one; meaning he could ignore an opportunity that others deemed worthwhile, jumping at it immediately, and waited for an even bigger opportunity. Therefore, he would or would not make his move at the end of the tournament depending on his calculation. Tenzin proposed that the only thing we should do now was continue to keep an eye on Korra and on Republic City, anticipating the enemy's advance, to which I and Azara agreed. When I finished my meal, Tenzin said that he had to tend to other matters, wishing me and Esillith's daughter a good day and taking leave, leaving the two of us alone in the hall.

Fleetly, I turned to Azara and demanded her whether she knew I already had a girlfriend or not. She beamed and told me that she knew. However, she also knew that our relationship had become pretty stranded because she eavesdropped on me and my girlfriend the night before without me sensing her presence. I was surprised that she could do a thing like that, causing Azara to chuckle out loud, explaining that time manipulating was not the only power she possessed; as a matter of fact, she possessed four abilities: time manipulation, sense blinding, malevolent presences detection and one-that-should-not-be-revealed-just-yet. With sense blinding, she could render one or very many living beings incapable of using their senses correctly or even make them completely useless, literally. She told me that of her three abilities, sense blinding was her most powerful one, even more powerful then her time manipulation. Of course, not that it meant time manipulation was less powerful than sense blinding, it was just that Azara's time manipulation was not as powerful as her siblings'. She told me that Vogorel - Esillith's 3rd son - was the most powerful time manipulator ever, second only to his father. Curious, I asked her how many children Esillith had, exactly, and the answer was... 865, minus the ones who died! _That was a lot._ But to be honest, it was not that surprising since I'd kinda had an idea about who Esillith was when Azara called him 'the Great Being' ( meaning he apparently was some cosmic being who'd possibly been living for millions of years, more or less ). Next, I returned to the first topic, telling Azaea that I still loved Korra and I didn't appreciate the fact that she'd taken advantage of me while I was sleeping, even though I was not angry at her ( it was hard to be angry at someone as beautiful as my female mentor ). Esillith's daughter nodded, indicating that she understood what I was saying, explaining to me that I was bottling too much of my frustration towards Korra inside me, so she had to help me let go of that amount of negativity. I thanked her and continued to talk to her about other topics 'til midday, leaving the dining hall and joining Tenzin's family in the family dining room.

After lunch, Azara led me back towards the training platform in the airbending training area and continued to train, uh... whip lashing. At about 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon, Azara allowed me to take a break for now, seeing that the Avatar was about to train airbending. As Korra approached the platform, I greeted her politely and was greeted back with a half-hearted manner. This kind of displeased Azara because she later told me that the Avatar should be kind and forgiving, not stubborn and vindictive. I put my hand on her shoulder while walking away, whispering in her ear, telling her that Korra was still not mature yet, she needed time to become a fully-realized Avatar. Nodding, my female mentor smiled, saying that she was proud of me being patient and understanding, also stating that she had some business to attend to, so there wouldn't be any training for the next two days. Therefore, I could be free to be with the Avatar or my friends, or I could concentrate on the training if I wanted to since I'd earned the privilege to wield Hejusha... during training. She allowed me to look into her mind, only showing me where she usually stashed away Hejusha. After I and my female mentor saying goodbye to each other, I returned to my room, got another set of clothes and was headed towards the Men's Bathroom to take a bath. Then, I went back to my room, deciding to take a nap. When I woke up, it was 6:13 p.m. Exiting the room, I walked towards the direction of Tenzin's family's dining room when I saw Ikki walking towards me.

"Oh, there you are! Daddy said I was to tell you that dinner is ready", the girl informed me.

"Let us go then". I smiled down at Tenzin's second daughter, following her to the dining room.

There, I sat down next to Korra, who ignored me like she'd done this morning. During the course of dinner, everyone talked about many topics, but whenever there was a question concerning me and Korra together, the young Avatar and I changed the subject, only I did so more politely than her.

After dinner, Korra and I went to the arena, staying silent the whole time. She was only in high spirits once she met Bolin and Mako again. While she went to change into her uniform, Mako asked me whether I'd fixed my relationship with Korra or not, to which I responded that I was doing that, earning an annoyed expression from the team captain; however, he couldn't do anything to me, so he walked away towards the railing, waiting for Korra. Three minutes later, the Avatar was back, geared up and ready to pro-bend. After both teams arrived at the playing field, introduced by the ring announcer, Shinobi commented colorfully, as usual:

"Eight teams have been eliminated and eight advance into the quarter finals, which get underway way tonight. The rookies are about to take on the former and longest-reigning champs, the Boar-q-pines. Youth clashes against experience in a battle for the ages, or rather of the ages". The bell sounded, starting the match. "Korra dodges and, ooh, slams right into her teammate! Down goes Mako and Bolin and Korra!". _What... the... fuck?_

"Round one goes to the Boar-q-pines!", the ring announcer announced.

Immediately, the team captain and Korra began to bicker, but was calm down by Bolin.

"The Ferrets looking to mount some offense here in round two. Bolin lets fly a flurry of attacks, he's a one-man bending battalion", Shinobi said excitedly, "the Ferrets are having a rough time finding their rhythm tonight, but thanks to Bolin, they narrowly notch round two. Not sure what's eating them, but this is not the same team who took out the Rabaroos". _You don't say?_

"Round three is a tie! We go to a tie-breaker to decide the match", the ring announcer stated.

After the referee tossed the coin, he said:"The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss!". He turned to the team. "Which element do you choose?".

Mako intended to volunteer, but Bolin stopped him, stepping forwards. "We choose earth", he stated aloud.

Right after that, a platform in the middle of the stage raised with Bolin and the Boar-q-pine earthbender on it. "Looks like the earthbenders will collide in the tie-breaker face-off. Bolin goes in for the grapple, Chang reverses", Shinobi analyzed, "Bolin strikes from midair, knocking Chang to the edge of the circle. Another strike from Bolin, and Chang is in the drink!". _Good job, Bolin!_

"The Future Industries Fire Ferrets win their quarterfinal match!".

Bolin cheered, prompting the crowd to cheer as well. When he turned to the balcony where I stood, I gave him a thumb-up, nodding approvingly, as he gave me a thumb-up back, smiling broadly. That was how much respect I got for Bolin, even when he dated my girlfriend. And Mako and Korra? They were relieved that Bolin won the tie-breaker, but look away from each other angrily.

"Oh, that was a close one folks! Youth trumps experience tonight", Shinobi commented.

Late, later, I went to search for Korra, finding out that she was standing under a gazebo, leaning against one of the pillars. I approached her.

"We need to talk, Korra", I said to her.

"What is there to talk about?", she replied, sullen.

"Us. I think it's time to stop this charade and be true to each other. I love you and I mean it. I don't say that it was you who... stranded our relationship, but you gotta behave normally, Korra. I can take it when you're being cold to me, but I won't let your team fall apart because of the emotional turmoil inside you".

She sighed, turning around. "You're... right. there's an emotional turmoil inside me, and it was because you trained with Azara. It... it made me very jealous. I thought you were getting back at me for dating Bolin, but when I heard her shouting at you to not get distracted, I suddenly felt so conflicted".

"Korra, I assure you, there was nothing between me and Azara. She's just my me-".

"I know". Before I could finish my sentence, Korra interrupted me by kissing me on the lips, surprising me very much. Quickly, I kissed her back, making her sigh in merriment. When we broke the kiss, Korra immediately looked down in shame after having seen something behind me. I turned around to find Bolin standing there with flowers for the Avatar. He burst into tears and ran away, dropping the flowers on the floor, prompting me to shout after him. _Son of a mother-_

"Bolin, wait, this isn't what you think!".

I turned back towards Korra and facepalmed, sighing. Then, I felt her punch my right shoulder pretty hard.

"Ow! What was that for?", I exclaimed.

"Go after him, you idiot. Go", Korra urged me.

"But what about you?", I inquired her.

"I... can't. But, please, go after him", she urged me again.

"Alright, I'll see you later, okay?".

The young Avatar nodded at what I'd said. I quickly sprinted away, scanning the entire arena for Bolin, immediately spotting him running through the hallways, heading for an exit. Swiftly, I connected my consciousness with his and went to the Ferrets' locker room, looking for Mako, seeing him talking with Asami.

"Mako, I need your help with Bolin", I spoke urgently.

"What happened? What's going on with my brother now?", he inquired me, slightly angry.

"I and Korra reconciled, and Bolin walked in on us while we were... you know". I held my fingers together, making my hands look like two... creatures kissing each other. "After that, he ran away".

Mako's eyes widened. "You what? He ran away?".

"Hey, it was you who suggested me to fix whatever issue I and Korra had between one another. The Spirits just hate me so they made Bolin arrive there at that time. Now will you help me bring him home or not?", I replied dryly.

"You know where he is?", the team captain inquired me again.

"Of course, I do. He's at Narook's", I answered.

Before I and Mako departed, the team captain told Asami to stay here while he and I went to fetch Bolin. They kissed each other. Soon after, I and Bolin's brother rushed out of the arena, heading towards Narook's.

...

"Morning, Narook. My brother here?", Mako asked the noodle restaurant owner once we were inside.

Narook pointed at some table far behind us.

"Thanks". Mako nodded, walking towards Bolin, slumped across said table.

"Come on. Wake up. Taking you home, bro", Mako told his brother.

"Yeah, looks like you, uh, noodled too much", I commented, earning a nasty glare from Mako.

Bolin looked up and sniffed dejectedly. "Don't wanna go home. Don't wanna go home with brother and friend betrayer!". He sobbed. "The only one I can trust anymore is Pabu! Pabu loves me". He gestured at the fire ferret, who was lying in a bowl on the table with a big stomach. _God at his umpteenth birthday party, holy shit!_

"You're a mess, and we've got the biggest match of our lives tonight. Let's go", Mako spoke while putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Bolin slapped away Mako's hand. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you, you traitors!", he angrily pointed at us both.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way", I commented dryly, trying to pick Bolin up to haul him onto my back.

However, I sensed that he was pissed, dodging a blur of a fist aiming at my face, swiftly catching it before it connected with Mako's instead, just inches from his, causing the team captain to swallow uncomfortably. Next, I sold Bolin a decent jab right at his solar plexus ( Dexter:"That's your solar plexus" ), causing him to gasp for air, slumping down, me finally being able to put him onto my back, alarming Mako.

"You just hurt my brother! What the hell was that for? ", he hissed.

"It's for his own good, Mako". I turned to him. "And don't worry, I didn't apply too much pressure so he'll be fine".

As I carried Bolin towards the exit, he groaned a weak "Why?" and was answered by Mako.

"Told you dating a teammate was a bad idea".

Later, at night, I was inside the team's locker room, leaning against the railing, looking at both Mako going through his things at his locker and a dejected Bolin sitting on the bench. _This is worse than I thought._ I sighed in sadness. At that time, Korra opened the door and entered the room; she looked at Bolin, feeling guilty, and walked silently past Mako towards her locker, picking up her uniform and beginning to exit the room, glancing at me, sad. But I quickly nodded and gave her a gentle smile, causing her to smile weakly back. A few minutes later, the young Avatar was back, all geared up for the night's match. As she approached the railing, standing at the center, I spoke quietly to her:

"Good luck, Korra".

"Thanks". She nodded and smiled a bit brightly this time, warming my heart a lot.

Moments later, the team was lining up against their opponents tonight - the Buzzard Wasps. Shinobi commented excitedly:

"You can't find two teams more evenly matched in age, size, and strength than the Fire Ferrets and the Buzzard Wasps. Believe me, I've looked! This should be a pulse-pounding semifinal, folks!". The bell dinged and the match began. "The Buzzard Wasps open with a flawlessly executed combo. All three Ferrets take an early visit to zone two. And Mako is knocked all the way back into zone three! The Fire Ferrets have been struggling to stay alive since the opening bell". _Definitely worse than I thought!_ "All three players are totally out of sync tonight". Bolin got struck in the stomach with an earth disk. _Ooh..._ "Ooh, that has got to sting!". Bolin stumbled to the side of the ring, removed his helmet, threw it aside, and vomited. I facepalmed. "And Bolin loses his noodles! Literally. Which reminds me, this match is brought to you by our sponsor, Flameo Instant Noodles! Noodliest noodles in the United Republic".

The match continued and Korra is knocked into zone three.

"Come one, sweetheart, you can do it!", I shouted aloud.

"The Buzzard Wasps fly deeper into Ferret territory. And Mako plunges into the pool! Can the Fire Ferrets hold on? The Wasps have the Ferrets backed up to the edge now... and the Ferrets are bailed out by the bell! They had better pull themselves together for round two, otherwise they can kiss the finals goodbye".

 _Without Bolin... No, without the previous well-oiled bending machine, the team won't survive this mat- Did I just think about those words "well-oiled bending machine"?_

The bell dinged again, indicating that second round began. Mako got knocked back a zone, and firebent a blast that hit Bolin in the back and knocks him to the ground. _Ugh._ I facepalmed again. Bolin began to argue with Mako and was struck by a blast of water and was knocked off the edge.

"The Wasps take advantage of Mako's unforced error and Bolin is in the pool!", Shinobi commented. Korra, then, got fancy with her waterbending and got too carried away. "Ooh, and a blatant hold by the Avatar!".

The referee blew his whistle. "Unnecessary roughness! Move back one zone!", he stated.

"I'll unnecessarily rough you up!", Korra spoke and waterbent a blast at the referee as she was headed back. _What the fuck, Korra?_ And he grimly pulls out a yellow fan. _Uh... yellow card?_

"And the Avatar is slapped with the yellow fan. The Ferrets are their own worst enemy right now. It's just sad to watch. With the Buzzard Wasps leading two rounds to zilch, the Ferrets' only hope of winning is with a knockout".

 _Okay, that's it. Enough is enough._ I took off my shirt and threw it onto the bench while walking deeper into the empty locker room to avoid attention. Afterwards, I took off my jeans too and placed it on the bench as well, as round three began. Next, I formed myself a uniform resembling the Future Industries Fire Ferrets' design with the bacteria and viruses. After that, I returned to the balcony, linking my consciousness to Korra's, seeing that Mako and Bolin were going to be eliminated, speaking to her:

 _Korra, it's me, Saudorn. Tell the referee time out and replace both Mako and Bolin with me._

 _Saudorn? So it was you..._

 _Yes, it was me. Now, tell the referee time out, damn it, if you want your team to win!_

 _Alright, alright, I'll do it._

Rapidly, the Avatar signaled time out towards the referee, who blew his whistle right away upon seeing the sign, halting the match.

"Oh, the referee halted the match! It appears that the Avatar has just signaled a time out, folks. I think it's a good idea. The Ferrets need to clear their heads if they want to wi- Oh look, there is another Fire Ferret member, who's just jumped down to the playing field. But it is against the rules to have a 4-piece pro-bending team! We'll have to see what it is the Ferrets want and what the referee's final decision is", Shinobi spoke as I jumped down to where the team stood.

"Saudorn? What is the meaning of this? You can't join us! It's against the-", Mako was saying, but was cut off by Korra.

"He wants me to replace you and Bolin with him", she announced.

"What?", the brothers uttered in unison, shocked.

"You two are distracted by things occurred last night". I pointed at Mako, then Bolin respectively. "You, by worrying about your brother and by me and Korra; you, by me and Korra. So you are out and I'm in to save the team together with Korra. Got it?".

"You gotta be kidding me. Two against three? Anyway, you're not even a firebender or-", Mako objected fiercely.

"I can make earth move by controlling the microorganisms in it. In short, my moves look like earthbending moves. And believe me, with Korra and me, the Fire Ferrets is like a hammer coming down, crushing those Wasps".

This made the young Avatar blush. "You... really think so?".

"Defi-".

Before my fully said the word, the referee cut me off. "Fire Ferrets, what is your decision?", he inquired.

"Our decision is to replace both Mako and Bolin... with me, earthbender", I responded confidently.

"You mean in a 2-against-3, handicap match? Are you sure?".

"Definitely".

"Very well, then". The referee turned to the crowd. "The Fire Ferrets wish to replace both their firebender and earthbender with a reserved earthbender. And the final decision is they are... allowed", he announced, causing the crowd to cheer excitedly, even though they didn't know who I was. _That's the power of hope._

As soon as Mako and Bolin left the playing field, the bell dinged for the third time, signaling the start of the third round. Fleetly, I stomped the ground, feigning earthbending two earth discs up and kicking them towards two of the Wasps, when in fact, I was moving them with my mind. Alongside me, Korra waterbent three water bullets, one after another, at our opponents, resulting in two of them successfully blocking our first wave assault, yet the third member being knocked back to zone two. _There's their weakness._

 _Distract the other two, Korra. I'll take care of him._

 _Got it, Captain._

As soon as we finished strategizing, the Wasps retaliated, sending volley after volley of fire blasts, water bullets and earth discs towards us. However, we dodged them with ease as Korra used her airbending evading moves, while I used acrobatic ones, swiftly countering with our own volleys. True to our strategy, Korra attracted the first two Wasps' attention, leaving me room to concentrate my gifts of earth discs in his direction, knocking him back to zone three. While I was doing all this, Korra somehow managed to knock the second member of the Wasps back to zone two!

 _Good job, Korra!_

 _Thanks!_

 _Okay, now, change of tactic: I'll keep the subordinates busy while you release your water bullets, aiming at the captain. When he's knocked back to zone two, make sure they're near each other; then, we give them the knockout of a lifetime!_

 _Sir, yes sir!_

Once our strategy was under way, there was a song playing in my mind. Motörhead's The Hammer. _Time for some musical fuel._

 _Let the killer go, don't let his mother know!_

 _Don't go out tonight, don't even try to fight!_

 _'Cause I can see, I've got the thing you need!_

 _And I'm here to stay, it's gonna be this way!_

 _Don't try to run, don't try to scream!_

 _Believe me, The Hammer's gonna smash your dream!_

 _I'm in your life, just might be in your wife!_

 _Could be behind your back, I might be on your track!_

 _And it might be true, I might be onto you!_

 _I'll scare you half to death, I'll take away your breath!_

 _Don't try to see, don't try to hide!_

 _Believe me, The Hammer's gonna make you die!_

 _Ain't that right?_

 _There ain't no way, you'll see another day!_

 _I'm shooting out your lights, bring you eternal night!_

 _And your eternal tricks, begin to make me sick!_

 _The only thing I know, is that you've gotta go!_

 _Don't try to hide, don't look around!_

 _Believe me, The Hammer's gonna bring you down!_

 _Ugh... Believe me... The Hammer's coming..._

 _DOWN!_

When I finished the song in my head, so were the Buzzard Wasps. Finished.

"It's the big kibosh! What a knockout!", Shinobi exclaimed excitedly, "it didn't seem possible, folks, but the Fire Ferrets are headed to the finals!".

After all the celebration, I and Korra returned to the locker room via the mobile platform, helmets off, me surprised by the Avatar wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me deeply, making the crowd go wild, cheering and whooping loudly. Feeling very warm inside my heart, I kissed her back passionately. Once we were at the railing, we broke the kiss and went inside the locker room, with Korra walking up to Bolin.

"That, was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen", he commented.

"Thanks for not giving up on us. We never would have made it this far without you. I owe you, both of you. Big time", Mako directed me and Korra.

"You're welcome", the Avatar and I replied in unison, prompting all of us to laugh out loud merrily.

That was when the next team - the Wolfbats, I guessed - entered the locker room. A guy with pale skin, black hair with one long lock of hair nearly covering half his face, entered last and inhaled deeply with an expression of disgust ( you know, comparing Dracula to this annoyingly creepy thin fucker, I'll say Dracula is more handsome than this smug son of a bitch ).

"Ooh, oof. You boys smell something in here? Wait, I know what that is; yeah, that's the scent of losers", he stated arrogantly.

"I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll know who the losers really are", Korra countered, annoyed.

"Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here", he replied sarcastically.

I stepped towards him. "Maybe I'll replace one of my buddies over there and make you gush yellow liquid during the match tomorrow night. Would you like that, little man?".

The bleach-skinned sucker's face whitened at my threat, quickly getting his ass on the mobile platform.

"And now, the defending champs, the White Falls Wolfbats!", the ring announcer announced.

While all of us laughed at them, Asami entered the room, running to Mako and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Great job!". She turned to Korra and me as she and Mako both looked at us while embracing. "What a comeback, Korra, Saudorn. I've never seen a hat trick like that".

"Thanks!". We slowly approached the pair while Korra did the talking. "But, if it hadn't been for you and your father, we wouldn't have had the chance to play. So thank you".

"Yeah, tell him I say thanks", I told Asami. _And watch the hell out, for your father might be on my blacklist._

"Uh, if everyone's done with the little "thank you" party, need some medical attention over here", Bolin spoke, now sitting on the bench.

Korra immediately came to him and used water from a bucket nearby to heal his injured shoulder, chatting with him while I was talking to both Mako and Asami. A few minutes later, the ring announcer stated aloud:

"Your winners, the Wolfbats!".

"What? How is it over already?", Korra uttered in shock.

"With a brutal round one knockout, the defending champs secure their spot in the finals", Shinobi was saying.

I saw that the Wolfbats' opponent being helped out of the pool by medics with stretchers. The waterbender on the team even had a big hole in the glass of his helmet.

"I hope the Ferrets know a good doctor, 'cause they're gonna need one!".

 _No, I don't think so..._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	17. Chapter 15 (a)

**Note: This chapter contained two short smut scenes and coarse language, reader discretion advised. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XV - First Sign of War ( a )**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Equalists' Headquarters, midday, inside the prison facility.

?'s p.o.v.

*Smut scene begins*

I grunted in pleasure as I continued to thrust into the Freaky Bitch's anus, hands still gripping her hips tightly. In pleasure, but with hate as well. I hated her. _Fuckin' mental freak._ She cared about nothing but her own bodily pleasure and the joy of fucking others' mind and body up, which was why I and my sister were stuck with her for quite a while now. And talk about my sister... Spirits, I was sick to the stomach at the fact that the slut, whose anus I was drilling, dared violate my only family right at this moment... with a strap-on! Even though I loved ( and still do ) lesbian/bisexual sex, I loved Simel above all. I never wanted her to be hurt! _I should have let the crazed bitch take my anal virginity instead of being afraid. Now my sister pays the price..._ At the thought of Simel paying the price, my hate for this Sojana woman increased tenfold, causing me to fuck her harder out of rage.

"Oh... Ah. Now... that's the... fervor- Ah! Oh, damnation! Yes! That's the kind of... fervor... I expect from you. Fuck me... harder", the Freaky Bitch groaned aloud in a half teasing, half demanding voice.

 _Spirits, I hate her! I hate her! I hate her! I hate her! But... Ah, the sensation of her anal walls clamping... down on my cock..._ Despite the very murderous want inside me, I kept on thrusting and thrusting and thrusting. _I wish I could do this forever._ After about five minutes, I couldn't hold on much longer. With a strained voice, I uttered:

"I... I... Ah. I'm going to cum, Soja-"

"My name is Mistress, you little idiotic slave boy! Say it right, or your sister gets it!".

"No, no, please, don't hurt her! I'm sorry, Mistress, I- Oh, shit!".

At that moment, I cummed, moaning loudly.

"Yes, my dear slave boy, stop your pathetic mewling and cum for your Mistress! Yes! Oh, yes!".

While cumming, I felt the mental freak's orgasm as well, her anus clenching my member mightily fiercely, wanting to milk it dry. After I emptied my balls, I crashed down upon the woman's bare back, desiring to kiss it, yet remembering who its owner was, deciding to can it. _If she was not such a bitch, I'd even be willing to become her slave and satisfy her whichever way I can. Heck, I'd even think about such thing like love..._ As soon as my chest made contact with the smooth back, I realized that if I let myself go slack, my weight, combined with Sojana's, would totally crush my sister! Gasping mortifiedly, I quickly rolled over to my right, making a 'pop' sound as my rod was pulled out of the woman's anus, whispering to my sis:

*Smut scene ends*

"Sorry, sis, you're okay?".

"I'm... fine", Simel replied, voice still hoarse, having screamed loudly previously from Sojana's foreplay and oral sex skills, and probably from the rape that Sojana'd forced upon her while I was drilling her.

"Well, I'm sure she's more than fine. As a matter of fact, I think she feels really satisfied inside. Isn't that right, sweet Simel?", my 'Mistress' spoke, getting off the bed, looking at my sis.

"That... is right, Mistress", my naked sister croaked.

"Good. And you, Furroh, are you satisfied now that you have your first taste of anal sex?". The Demented Cunt turned to me.

"Yes, Mistress, I am". I nimbly and gradually hopped off the bed and bowed slightly at the woman 'with respect'. "It was a pleasure and honor to have anal sex with you, Mistress".

That caused Sojana to chuckle aloud, walking towards me, then... grabbing my chin and kissing me, her tongue slipping into my mouth and exploring around like a snake! I was completely shocked by the woman's action. _What the fuck? She has never done this before! She only loved forcing her tongue into Simel's mouth!_ But if I thought that was all there was to it, boy, did I just arrive at Wishingsville; for I felt the woman's finger poke at my own asshole, startling the spirit out of me! When she broke the kiss, she looked at me with a sly grin, then, she put the very finger which'd just poked at my most private part... in her mouth and sucked it like it was a lollipop. Upon seeing my dumbfound reaction, she laughed out loud, heading towards the other bed where she'd thrown her clothes onto an hour before, putting them on again and walking out of the jail cell, out of sight once she turned left. _Sick, twisted whore._

When I turned back to my sister, she was sitting at the other edge of the bed, back lightly stooping. I sighed heavily, approaching her, sitting next to her. As I attempted to touch her shoulder, she snapped:

"Don't touch me!".

"I'm... sorry, sis. It was all my fault. I should hav-".

"Just shut up and help me put my clothes back on", my sister spoke coldly, causing me to wince.

Even though I was older than Simel, she had an attitude of a big sister instead of a little sister, possessing more authority over me than I do over her. That was why once she finished her sentence, I immediately silently got her clothes and helped put them on her. After that, I made myself respectable, letting my sister lean against me and moving out of the lockup together with her. Outside, there was a masked guard with a slightly hunched back standing there, who I recognized as Yaashu - one of my Equalist friends; upon seeing us exiting the cell, he swiftly came to my sister's left side, offering us help. However, Simel was not in the mood for outsider's help, inhospitably rejecting his offer, prompting me to apologize to him. Thankfully, knowing my sister, he didn't mind her attitude much, giving us his best wishes as we continued to walk away.

 _For the price Simel pays, it was my fault, no question about it. But for this whole ordeal, it was HIS fault, the one who gave me the head injury. If he didn't attac- No, if he was NOT there, all this wouldn't happen at all! If he was NOT there, I wouldn't be injured and I certainly wouldn't 'attract' that freak-cunt's attention. She loves talking with anyone involved with her 'lover', that Saudorn fucker. Saudorn, next time we meet, I won't avenge my head, I will avenge my sister. And when I'm done with you, your Sojana is next._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After seeing the aftermath of the match between the Mo Ce Mongoose Lizards and the Wolfbats the night before, the Fire Ferrets had been pretty worried about the final match, but I was concerned about an even bigger problem: Whether Amon and Agrigula chose to interrupt the match or not. Once I and Korra returned to Air Temple Island, I intended to say goodnight to her and went to my room to get some sleep, yet was cut off by the young Avatar asking me if I'd be okay having her sleep with me in my room or not. Truth be told, I was pretty surprised at that; however, to let Korra know that I truly loved her, I allowed her to sleep with her, without having sex, that is. She immediately asked me why, to which I responded, telling her she needed to preserve her strength for the coming final match with the Wolfbats the next night. Nonetheless, I wanted to make her happy, saying that we could sleep half-naked with each other, causing Korra to nearly shout in happiness, crushing me with a tight hug and kissing me passionately.

After all that, she intended to pull me towards the direction of my room, in the Men's Dormitory, wanting to be comfortable with me very much. To avoid causing too much noise and waking everyone by running, I told her to contain her joy, us walking towards my room calmly together, holding one another's hand sweetly. When we entered my room, we took off our clothes to underwear and traditional bindings only, then climbed into bed, snuggling against each other and slept. The next day, we woke up, had a morning kissing session with Korra on top of me, teasing me about my "hard" case of morning wood, then put on our clothes, bringing her uniform along, and left my room for hygiene stuff and breakfast, talking with Tenzin about last night's match and the aftermath of the match between the Mo Ce Mongoose Lizards and the Wolfbats, with Korra not being worried about the Wolfbats anymore; instead, she was confident that the Fire Ferrets, with my help in case things got worse, would win the final match and win the Pro-Bending Championship for the first time ever. _Probably because of last night._

After the breakfast, we departed together, heading for the arena.

And now here I was, inside the gym, watching Bolin earthbending two earth disks towards the net, falling to the ground. He immediately levitated and threw two more disks straight at one of the pictures of Tahno ( both Korra and Bolin told me about their encounter with the pale-faced fucker while they were... 'dating' each other when I asked them who he was ). Next, Mako threw two fire punches and a flaming arc with his foot at the next picture. Then, Korra moved a small water blob around a bit before launching it forward. At the result, all three pictures of Tahno suspended on a rope got cut, incinerated completely and taken off a great portion of. As soon as the water bullets hit the picture, Korra triumphantly jumped up, raising her left hand. Nearby, the radio host was saying:

"You're listening to "The Music Hour"! ". Korra let out another triumphant shout, and started to confidently walk around. "Brought to you by Cabbage Corp, Republic City's trusted name in technology for over fifty years".

Korra now spoke in an upbeat tone while picking up a towel:"Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don't care if we are the underdogs. We can take those pompous Wolfbats".

"It's going to be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right", Mako replied while taking off his helmet.

Bolin, being his normal, goofy self, hugged Mako, imitating an announcer:"Introducing your new champs, the fantastic Fire Ferrets!".

I chuckled at that, responding:

"I think if you guys win, you should change your team's name to Future Industries Fantastic Fire Ferrets. It'd be pretty cool".

"F.I.F.F.F. ?". Bolin raised an eyebrow at me.

"Or Fifffer!", Korra announced.

"Fifffuh...". I rolled the 'f' sound at the end of the nickname, teasing my girlfriend, causing everyone to laugh aloud heartily.

That was when the radio was suddenly switched to broadcast static and changed to Amon's speech as he interrupted the program. Korra looked at the radio in alarm.

"Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon". Pabu, who was previously asleep next to the radio, squeaked and ran away. "I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last". I, Mako and Bolin walked up to the radio to listen more closely. "It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena". _Oh, fuck._ Mako looked at me, Bolin and Korra before looking at the radio again. "And cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences". _This can't be happening. This can't be happening! They're going to attack the arena!_

When Amon finished his final sentence, the static returned and the radio was silent.

"That guy's got some nerve". _Oh, you have no idea, Bolin. Anyone, backed up by Agrigula, has nerve. For a while anyway._

"You think the council will give in?", Mako asked.

"I'm not waiting to find out. We need to get to City Hall", Korra stated, intending to walk out of the gym.

Swiftly, I caught her arm, holding her back. "No, you will not".

"And why is that?". The Avatar glared at me.

"My enemies will be there, and I don't want to see you get hurt", I responded.

Upon hearing that, Korra's eyes widened with sudden realization, fear setting in. And upon hearing that, Mako was confused.

"Your enemies? What are you talking about, Saudorn?", he addressed me.

 _Time to come clean now._ With a heavy sigh, I told the bending brother about everything, causing them to stare at me with shock. When I finished, Bolin spoke nervously:

"So... Uhm... That was quite a story, but, I'm not sure if-"

"If you can believe it or not? Well, ask Korra; she has encountered all three of them. Also, I have the scar to prove it", I directed him, turning around and pulling up my shirt, revealing the big scar for the brothers to see, hearing Bolin gasping aloud in wonder.

Afterwards, Mako and Bolin turned to Korra, their glances as if asking:"Is it true?". My girlfriend closed her eyes, slowly nodding.

Feeling appalled now, Bolin held his head, downcast, mumbling things to himself, while Mako looked at me, angry, intending to scold me. But I stopped him.

"You'd do the same if you were me", I told him. Then, I turned to Korra. "Let the council shut down the arena, we have to prolong the war 'til Azara returns", I said to her.

"Who's Azara?". Mako was curious.

"My second mentor, and Esillith's daughter", I replied.

Suddenly, Korra spoke up next to me:"I have made up my mind. I will still get to City Hall".

...

Korra's p.o.v.

As I was storming through City Hall, Saudorn tried to stop me for the umpteenth time, persuading me not to interrupt the council meeting, annoying the heck outta me. I knew he was concerned about me, but seriously, why did he have to be such a botherhead? Didn't he see that I had already made up my mind? Furthermore, I loved pro-bending! And then Amon had to be an ass and threatened to attack the arena! What was I supposed to do? Just sat there and let the council shut down the place? If Amon wanted a fight, and if Saudorn's enemies ( especially that lesbian bitch ) wanted a fight, then I'd give them a fight! When I pushed the doors to the meeting room open, Tenzin stood up from his chair, stern.

"Korra, you shouldn't be here. This is a closed meeting", he announced. Then, he looked to someone next to me.

"Don't look at me. I tried to stop her", Saudorn spoke.

Deciding to ignore him, I addressed Tenzin:"As the Avatar and a pro-bending player, I have a right to be heard. You can't cancel the finals".

"I know winning the championship means a lot to you. But as far as I'm concerned, we need to shut the arena down", my airbending mentor replied.

"What about the rest of you? Tarrlok, there's no way you're backing down from Amon, right?". I turned to the rest of the council, desperate.

"Actually". He stood up. "Tenzin and I agree for once". _You gotta be kidding me._

"The council is unanimous. We're closing the arena", Tenzin stated.

"Yes!", Saudorn exclaimed triumphantly, earning a nasty glare from me.

But Mako and Bolin were against the decision with a "No!" and "You can't!", making me smile at my teammates' support. However, I was still astonished by Tarrlok's decision.

"I-I don't understand. I thought you, of all people, would take a stand against Amon", I told him.

"While I am still committed to bringing that lunatic to justice, I will not put innocent lives at stake just so you and your friends can play a game", he responded dryly.

Mako stepped forward. "Pro-bending might only be a game to you, but think of what it means to the city! Right now the arena is the one place where benders and nonbenders gather together... in-in peace! To watch benders...", he stated.

"Beat each other up! In peace!". His brother added enthusiastically. "It's an inspiration to everyone!".

"Stop making a bunch of fools out of yourselves". Saudorn suddenly interfered. "Amon is not someone who makes empty threats. If he said 'there will be severe consequences', he meant it. Are you ready to take responsibility for yourself when violence shows itself at the gates? What will you say if there are injured, or worse, dead, people during the attack? "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see that coming. Guess my love for pro-bending clouded my fuckin' judgement"! ".

Tarrlok addressed the brothers. "I appreciate your naive idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation. Also, I think your friend's got a point".

 _Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Tarrlok agreeing with my boyfriend? Where did this even come from?_

Frustrated, I tried once again to convince Tarrlok. "The reality is if you close the arena, you let Amon win!".

Bolin pointed to me. "Yes, exactly what she said! Yes!".

"I'm sorry, but our decision has been made. This meeting is adjourned" was Tarrlok's final answer.

He picked up the gravel, and Saudorn exclaimed triumphantly again. However, before the councilman could do anything, and before my boyfriend could shout again, a metal cable knocked off the gravel head and Tarrlok gasped. Everyone turned to look toward the entrance of the courtroom and saw the Chief of Police - Lin Beifong - enter the room, coiling her cable back, looking at the council.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Avatar", Lin announced.

"You do?". Tarrlok was astounded by the announcement.

"Yeah, you do?". I was too.

"Chief Beifong, are you outta your-", Saudorn objected.

"Shut your yapper, Saudorn", Lin directed my boyfriend, putting him in his place. Then, she turned to the rest of us. "I expected this kind of cut-and-run response from Tenzin. But the rest of you? Come on, show a little more backbone. It's time that the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists".

"Letting Republic City face a BRUTAL war is NOT "showing a little more backbone", Chief". Saudorn interfered again, clearly not put in his place. "You still don't know what else Amon is CAPABLE OF".

After that, Tenzin spoke:"I agree with Saudorn. We must prevent the conflict between benders and nonbenders from escalating into all-out war! The council is not changing its position, Lin". _Ugh, Tenzin and Saudorn, tag team again?_

"Now just a moment, Tenzin. Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind". Tarrlok voiced his opinion, prompting Tenzin to grunt and fold his arms.

 _Thank the Spirits._

"If you keep the arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. There's no better force to deal with the chi blockers. Our armor is impervious to their attacks", Lin presented her plan to everyone.

"Oh for Goodness's sake, Chief. Have you forgotten what I said? I said 'You still don't know what else Amon is CAPABLE OF' !", Saudorn objected once more.

"Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?", Tarrlok inquired Lin, ignoring my boyfriend.

She was determined. "I guarantee it".

"It is hard to argue with Chief Beifong's track record", Tarrlok stated. Next, he turned to the council. "If she is confident her elite officers can protect the arena, then she has my support. I am changing my vote". He raised his hand. "Who else is with me?". The other three council members raised their hands as Tenzin turned away in disappointment. "The arena stays open. Good luck in the finals".

Next to me, I heard Saudorn grumble a "Fuck!". Even though I was happy with Tarrlok's change of heart, somehow I sympathized with my boyfriend. After all, he just wanted what was best for the city, and certainly for this world.

"And good luck to you, Chief Beifong", Tarrlok addressed Lin.

As I was celebrating, or trying to celebrate with my teammates, I saw Tenzin and Saudorn approach Lin, with Tenzin saying:

"A word plea-".

"We need to talk, now". Saudorn directed Lin curtly, unintentionally cutting Tenzin off, storming out of the room.

 _Uh oh._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

 _I couldn't believe it! The council changed their vote! Gods, I hate that Tarrlok son of a bitch so much!_ Everything was fine until Lin Beifong had to show up! I admit I was a fan and even had a crush on her back when I was on Earth, but this was simply unacceptable! With Agrigula backing up Amon, the stakes were higher than ever! I knew beyond the World of Benders, there was an even greater war going on out there; however, this world just wasn't ready for it yet. Just like Earth hadn't been ready for it... Now I was standing at a City Hall corridor, waiting for Tenzin and Lin. When they caught up with me, I turned around as Tenzin said:

"Saudorn, I know you're upset. But, please, let me talk to-"

"No, I want to talk to her!". I pointed at the Chief of Police. "Didn't you catch the hints in my sentences, Chief? I was trying to REMIND you of what Tenzin'd told you about me and my enemies! Now you have jeopardized everything!".

"So what? You know that, sooner or later, the war will occur. It's inevitable", Lin countered.

"I know that! But couldn't you just... be patient and waited for me to ask my mentor what to do about Amon's announcement?".

"Your mentor?".

I turned to Tenzin. "You didn't tell her that?", I inquired him.

"Well, I didn't see the need to-", the councilman was saying.

"Hey, I'm still here", Lin reminded us, "who's this mentor of yours?".

I sighed. "Okay, Tenzin, you can talk to her now". I put my arms up in defeat. "In private if you want to", I quickly added, seeing Korra approach all three of us.

"Excuse me, Chief Beifong. I wanted to thank you for your help". Nonetheless, the Chief of Police ignored her completely as she walked away, Korra's mentor following suit. "It... really... means a lot".

Annoyed, she turned to me and addressed me while pointing at Lin:"What is her deal? Even when she's on my side, she's against me!".

I chuckled at the young Avatar's frustration, my own faded away somewhat. "Honey, knowing Lin, I guarantee you she never chooses sides. She's 100% loyal to this city and this city alone", I explained to Korra, "and don't mind her. She's stubborn and challenging, but she's a good woman". _More than good, to be honest. She's brave and handsome and sexy- Wait, what the hell am I thinking?_

"What did Aang do to make her hate the Avatar so much?".

"Actually, he and Lin got along... uh... famously", I answered my girlfriend's question, using Tenzin's words when I watched this very episode of the Legend of Korra. _Thank Goodness I still remember everything in this scene._ "Her issues, truthfully... are with Tenzin".

That made Korra gasp in realization. "Wait a second...". She smiled knowingly. "It all makes sense now! He and Beifong. Beifong and him. They were a... couple!". _No shit, Sherlock._

I nodded. "Yep, they were".

My girlfriend was shocked. "Y-you knew? How?".

"Didn't I tell you I was from another...", I whispered in her ear, "reality? There, we all know about Tenzin and Lin". I grinned slyly once I stepped awway.

"Really?", Korra inquired again. I nodded solemnly. "You gotta tell me more about your reali- I mean", she spoke lowly, "about where you're from".

"Well, maybe after the war", I replied and got a pout from the young Avatar, chuckling at her again, my frustration vanishing entirely, "I promise". I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead sweetly, earning a merry, girly giggle from her.

Later, I and the Fire Ferrets exited City Hall, returned to the arena and parted ways with the bending brothers. Once I and Korra were back on Air Temple Island, it was noon, and we were pretty hungry. So we went to the dining room, where we met Tanna and Anyu, who, Pema told us, had arrived earlier, finding out that I and my girlfriend were not here; thus, Pema, being a gentle and nice woman she was, invited my female friends to stay and wait and have lunch with us. After the lunch, instead of focusing on the training, I and the gals decided to relax and play Pai Sho instead, with Korra telling me the rules again and again to make me understand how I was supposed to play. And to tell you the truth, this game was hard as fuck. I was ( and still am ) a chess guy more than a Chinese "Go" game ( an abstract strategy board game originated in ancient China ) guy. Hence, I lost... a lot of times ( if it was a gamble, I swear my pockets would burn to ashes ).

Later that afternoon, we all went to the dining room and had dinner, with Korra having her bag of pro-bending uniform next to her. After finishing the meal, we all said goodbye to Pema and the kids, leaving the island by catching the ferry, then the tram to the arena. Once we were there, we were headed to the locker room unhurriedly, chatting with the brothers while Korra went to change into her uniform ( because it turned out that we arrived a bit earlier than the night of the first tournament match ).

*smut scene begins*

However, the young Avatar motioned for me to follow her to the women's bathroom. _Oh. Someone is in the mood!_ Inside, we quickly locked lips, me pushing Korra against the wall quite roughly, earning a chuckle out of her. Next, I fumbled with her clothes, trying to undress her while kissing her, struggling a little bit. With her help, a short moment later, I was able to get her naked, teasing her neck, her chest, her breasts, her navel, her clit and pussy with my lips and tongue, causing her to moan loudly. After a while, Korra grasped me by my hair and tried to pull me up, her lips crashing against mine again, tasting her own juices via my mouth. Then, it was her turn to turn me around and push me against the wall, pulling my T-shirt up, kissing, playfully biting and sucking on my chest and nipples, trailing down to my stomach and six-pack. When she reached my jeans, she tried to unbuckle my belt, failing time and time again. So, it was my turn to help her, not to get my jeans down, but to access my cock without difficulty, by pulling the zipper down, taking my rod out of its underwear confinement, abandoning my concern about not letting Korra give me head. At the sight of my hard-on, Korra stared at it, mesmerized, ever-so-slowly inching forwards. Two seconds later, her lips touched the opening of my cockhead, her hot breath brushing against my sensitive skin, evoking a loud groan from me, causing her to giggle mischievously. Gradually, she gently grasped my rod, kissing it all over, lightly biting certain places, making groan a bit sharply this time.

Once she had enough of kissing, she slowly engulfed my cockhead, sloppily sucking on it like she was sucking on an ice cream. _Oh damn, it's been too... long..._ I gasped aloud when I felt her teeth scrape along my rodhead. It felt so good! Afterwards, I felt Korra try to take more of my length, hands holding her shoulders, looking at her in the eyes as if asking:"Are you sure you want to do this?". Immediately, she rubbed my hip slightly and reassuringly, her eyes replying:"I'm sure". Seeing her determination, I let go of her shoulders and let her take as much of my length into her mouth as she could, her moaning satisfiedly, her throat vibrating, increasing the pleasure between my loins threefold. Next, she... did nothing, trying to suck 3/4 of the meatpole in her mouth. Gently, I put my hand on her head and slowly pushed her away 'til the head of my cock was still in her mouth, then I slowly pulled her head back towards my crotch, repeating the action two more times, letting go of her head. Understanding what I wanted, Korra sucked me like I'd shown her, bobbing back and forth while still maintaining the pace I'd set as an example for her, me moaning louder, feeling her hot mouth enclose my pole. _Gods, this feels even better than Helena/Sonja sucking me off. If only Korra was a cyborg, I'd want her to keep on sucking 'til the end of time. Or maybe I should ask her to give me head when she's in the Avatar State? Maybe no-_

*Smut scene ends*

"Hey, Korra, where are yo- Ahhhhh!".

And then it had to end, for Bolin interrupted us, rapidly slamming the bathroom door shut after seeing what he clearly was not ready to see. Upon hearing Bolin's voice, the young Avatar was startled, shouting aloud after quickly pulled away from my rod, spitting out a lot of spittle in her mouth, wiping her lips panickingly. I could only chuckle, stuffing my thing back inside its confinement and zipping up my jeans, earning a glare from my girlfriend, whose annoyance swiftly melted away, replaced by a sigh. After that, she stood up and put on her pro-bending uniform, receiving a hug from me from behind, turning towards my face and met my lips passionately. Four minutes later, we returned to the locker room, lying to everyone that there was a small problem with Korra's gear and that she needed some help from me. Nevertheless, Bolin looked at us with a "Huh, really?" expression, probably trying to unsee what he'd seen. When all was said and done, the Fire Ferrets went to stand on the mobile platform as I and Tanna and Anyu wishing them all good luck.

"The anticipation is palpable as we are just moments away from the championship match. Will the Wolfbats' ferocity help them repeat as champs? Or will the underdog Fire Ferrets serve up a surprising bowl of smackdown soup?", Shinobi commented.

As Shinobi was saying, Tanna whispered in my ear:"You're such a naughty boy, you know that?".

"So, you knew, huh?", I whispered back.

"Please. I knew you and Korra were up to some mischief the moment she motioned for you to follow her". Tanna snickered. "Also, you won't believe it, but Bolin and Anyu just hit it off really well while you two were gone".

"Really? I intended to introduce them to each other privately, yet I see that Nature has run its course". I grinned.

"Introducing the challengers, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!", the ring announcer announced.

Out on the mobile platform, Mako blew a kiss to someone from where looked like the V.I.P. section, probably Asami, not noticing that Korra pulled a face of disgust near him. When they reached the arena, Bolin signaled to Pabu. The animal, then, jumped down and did his trick by moving around on his front paws before doing some backflips while Bolin used an earth disk, removing the center for Pabu to backflip through and back, ending the performance with one paw standing.

"And their opponents, the three timed defending champions, the White Falls Wolfbats!".

Once the ring announcer finished his sentence, Bat-masked Wolfbats with purple capes howled and spread their wing capes while fireworks went off all around the arena. From the crowd, the Wolfbats' fangirls cried and howled in support as the Fire Ferret cosplayers booed. Next, Tahno took off his bat mask and untied his cape.

"The champs and challengers face off at the center-line and here we go!", Shinobi spoke.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the first match, 'accompanied' by Tanna and Anyu's fangirling support for the Fire Ferrets. The Wolfbats instantly moved toward their opponents and Tahno attempted an uppercut on Korra with his waterbending fist. _Cheating son of a whore!_ Korra moved back to barely dodge it and backflipped, only to be hit by a waterbending blast from him.

"Tahno tries to clean the Avatar's clock with some dirty water boxing", Shinobi commented. Mako firebent and missed while the Wolfbats' earthbender took two earth disks and kicked them to Mako, followed by two more, which was enough to force him back to zone two. "Ming shakes off Mako's attack and returns the favor". The opposite firebender flipped forward while Bolin kicked some earth disks toward him. One of his disks bounced off the side ropes and hit Shaozu, knocking him against the fence. "Shaozu gets fancy, but Bolin ricochets a disk off the ropes and says 'No, thank you sir!' ".

Shaozu ran out the way of Mako's fireball just in time.

"The waterbenders slug it out, looking evenly matched". Tahno waterbent a prolonged stream of water at Bolin, forcing the earthbender into zone three. _Fuckin' worm._ "Tahno gets a little too worked up and unleashes a deluge on Bolin that would certainly elicit a foul". The center of the ring lighted up and the Wolfbats are allowed to advance. "Or apparently not". _Someone clearly was gotten bribed. Greedy moneysucker._

"What's the big idea, ref? That was a hosing foul!", Mako shouted at the referee in anger, immediately supported by Tanna and Anyu, and the referee signaled it was not.

"And the Wolfbats advance despite Tahno exceeding the waterbending time limit". The match continued as Korra began to waterbend, only to be hit by Tahno's own attack. Bolin launched a disk at Tahno, who dodged, as Korra rolled to the side. Mako dodged a disk from Ming and began firebending back at him. "A questionable call by the officials". Ming lifted up a disk under Mako's foot, tripping him forward, before launching another disk at Mako, sending him back into zone three. "Ming trips up Mako with another dirty trick!".

Ming launched another disk as Tahno ran forward in preparation to attack.

"The Ferret brothers are backed up to zone three and the Wolfbats smell blood". Tahno froze the water when Bolin jumped back, causing him to slip, got hit by a fire blast and fell out of the arena. The crowd booed. "Looks like Tahno snuck in an illegal icing move but once again there's no call". Tahno and Shaozu both attacked Korra as Mako rolled out of the way of an oncoming disk and attempted a fire blast back. "I don't know what match the refs are watching but it's obviously not this one". _They're watching with their own asses, too, apparently._ Tahno and Ming both attacked Korra, who got pushed back into zone three and the Wolfbats advanced. Mako sent out a firebending blast, but missed. "Oh... a splash-and-clash sends the Avatar to zone three as well". Mako moved in front of Korra and attempted to firebend to protect the Avatar from the triple elemental attack, but both get pushed out of the arena. The bell rang as the Wolfbats gathered together. "It's a knockout! The Wolfbats win the championship for the fourth year in a-". _What? You gotta be fucking kidding me!_ The Wolfbats turned around to celebrate their victory. "Hold on a second, folks!". Korra was clinging to the edge of the stadium, holding Mako by the collar. _Thank Goodness!_ "Scratch that! The Ferrets are still alive, but just barely". Korra held Mako, swinging to throw him up onto the arena as she fell and Mako firebent at Tahno, sending him flying and knocking him down as Ming and Shaozu looked at him in surprise. Tahno stood, infuriated, as the bell rang. "What an unbelievable move! These Ferrets aren't just bending the elements, they're bending my mind! The underdogs survive to see round two".

The Fire Ferrets huddled together before round two. Then, the ring announcer stated:

"Round two!".

The bell rang.

Mako firebent, only for it to be blocked by Shaozu. Korra waterbent at Ming, who blocked it with firebending. Bolin sent a disk at Tahno, who blocked it with waterbending. Tahno waterbent twice at Korra, who dodged and blocked them. "The opening salvo is a brutal call as both sides give it their all". Korra started to waterbend, but her right foot got iced. Tahno kicked her back with waterbending. "But once again, Tahno sneaks in a little ice to get the upper hand". Bolin sent an earth disc at Shaozu, sending him back. Ming attempted to block a firebending blast with a disk but was sent backward. Mako dodged three firebending blasts that were aimed at his head. _Motherfucker!_ "Wowzers! Those look like illegal head shots to me!" Mako dodged another blast to the head. That was when the bell rang.

"Round two will be decided with a tie-breaker!" was the ring announcer's announcement.

A coin that was flipped and was caught by the ref. "The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss. Which element do you choose?", the ref asked.

Korra stepped forwards. "Let's go!".

The other team members moved away from the center as the central platform elevated itself with Korra and Tahno in the middle, preparing to fight. Korra and Tahno moved around for the first strike. Korra, next, waterbent at Tahno. Tahno dodged it but got hit under the chin by a stream of water. Tahno had attempted to retaliate after Korra's first shot, but Korra's surprise hit to his chin caused his waterbending jet to quickly lose form. Tahno collapsed out of the ring and the bell rang. _Attagirl!_

"Round two goes to the Fire Ferrets!", the ring announcer announced. The Fire Ferrets' color lighted up for the second round.

Korra jumped down from the center to be praised by the brothers, receiving a high five from Mako.

"One round apiece: Who wants it more?". The bell rang. Tahno waterbent. Ming blocked a water blast with a disk before launching another. Shaozu and Tahno both launched their own attacks. Bolin dodged a water blast and launched a disk forward. Then, he got hit by a water blast and sent another disk forward. "The Wolfbats flew out of the gates, swinging with bad intentions". Ming launched a disk. Shaozu jumped over him and sent out a fire blast. "The challengers are showing a lot of heart but the champs are really starting to find their rhythm now". Tahno ran and jumped off a pole to dodge an oncoming disk and launched his own water blast. "Can the Ferrets hang in there with the best?". Ming flipped forward and launched a disk at Korra. "Especially when the best are frankly getting a little help from the refs?". After being hit by the disk, she was narrowly missed by another. She launched her own water blast at Tahno who blocked it. "It's all down to this final round!". Mako sent out multiple quick fire blasts. "Mako is leaving it all in the ring". Ming launched a disk forward before doing something behind his back. "But it looks like Tahno and Ming are up to more shenanigans!". Tahno waterbent the broken disc into three blasts, quickly knocking Bolin and Mako off the arena. _The fuck?_

"Okay, that's it, I need to-", I announced to Tanna and Anyu, intending to intervene, when I felt a great pain along my back. _No!_

As I clinged to the railings weakly, supported by both Tanna and Anyu, I gasped, eyes open wide.

"Saudorn. Saudorn! Are you alright? What happened?", my receptionist friend inquired me, mightily concerned.

"They're... here..." was all I could utter before I slipped into blackness of unconsciousness.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	18. Chapter 15 (b)

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language, reader discretion advised. I don't own the songs Fight 'Til Death by Slayer and Thrash 'Til Death by Destruction. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XV - First Sign of War ( b )**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Pro-bending Arena, late at night.

Narrator's p.o.v.

After being hit by the water and rocks by the Wolfbats, Korra - the Fire Ferrets' last hope of winning the championship match - was knocked off the arena.

"Oh, this has gone too far! That water had rocks in it!", Shinobi exclaimed.

"Knockout!", the ring announcer announced.

The crowd began an uproar. Upon seeing what'd transpired before him, Tenzin furiously waved his hands. "Oh, come on! Those were illegal head shots! Open your eyes, ref!", he spoke, fuming, not at all accepting the unfairness right then and there.

"Well, folks it's a controversial call but the Wolfbats notch a nasty knockout to win the match!". The Wolfbats celebrated and waved at the spectators. "For the fourth year in a row, they'll be crowned tournament champions", Shinobi commented.

Tahno removed his helmet and spoke aloud smugly:"I barely broke a sweat! Anybody else wanna scrap with the champs?".

Next, among the crowd, a male spectator put on an Equalist mask, then, a female spectator at another position, and then another man pretty near the female. After that, far away, a man reached his hand in his box of popcorn to grab an electrical glove from within. Then, there was another doing the same further away. All this was occuring while Tenzin expressed his outrage over the match as Lin Beifong turned to look at him. Suddenly, he noticed movements from behind Lin from the corner of his eye, turning his head and realizing that an Equalist was standing behind her.

"Look out!", Tenzin shouted.

The man grabbed Lin by the shoulder and electroshocked her, knocking her unconscious. Tenzin airbent at the him, but was also electroshocked by a female Equalist behind him, falling to the ground next to the Chief of Police. Everywhere else, Equalists snuck up behind the metalbending cops and electroshocked them into unconsciousness. While all this was going on, Korra surfaced from the water along with her teammates and immediately noticed the electricity in the stands. She was stunned.

"What?", she uttered.

At the side of the water, out of nowhere, the Lieutenant dropped onto the platform underneath the arena. Upon seeing him, the young Avatar gasped. The Lieutenant immediately charged his kali sticks. Realizing the danger, Korra tried to waterbend at him, but it was too late, for the Lieutenant jabbed his electrified kali sticks into the pool, causing her water to drop back into the pool before it could hit him. The Fire Ferrets were electroshocked and they all screamed in pain before becoming unconscious. Up above, spectators were crying out in fear.

"Folks, there is some sort of electrical disturbance in the stands. Metalbending cops are dropping like bumbleflies. There appear to be masked members of the audience wielding strange devices on their hands", Shinobi was saying. An Equalist opened the door and came into the commentary booth. "One of them is in the booth with me right now, folks! He is leveling one of those glove devices at me now and I believe he is about to electrocute me. I am currently wetting my pants". The Equalist released the electricity from his glove.

On the playing field, Tahno and the Wolfbats looked around in confusion and fear, while back at the Fire Ferrets' locker room's balcony, Tanna and Anyu were both worried for Saudorn and frightened by what was happening before their eyes.

"What is happening?!", Tanna asked Anyu in panic.

"It's the Equalists. Look!". Anyu pointed at the playing field's center, where Amon and a group of Equalists rose from the center platform.

"Oh, no…", the first young woman mumbled, extremely worried now. "What are we gonna do now?", she asked her friend.

"Wait and see what Amon is up to. Then, you stay here while I have a word with him".

Tanna gasped at such suggestion. "What? You can't seriously be thinking abo-".

Her sentence was cut short by a shouting-aloud Tahno, who was directing the referee.

"What's going on here, ref!?".

The referee lifted his arms in confusion. "I don't know!".

After that, Tahno and the Wolfbats moved away as Amon and the Equalists approached them, fear mounting inside the pro-bending champions' hearts.

"All right, you want a piece of the Wolfbats? Here it comes!", Tahno shouted again, trying to repress his fear.

The Wolfbat team captain launched a water blast at Amon, but he evaded it and darted forward. Now the Wolfbats all began to bend at the Equalists. Amon dodged Tahno's attack and turned his attention to Shaozu, who attempted to hit him with firebending; however, Amon avoided it and moved behind him, grabbing his arm and swinging him around once, moving forward with him as he screamed. Tahno attempted to save him with waterbending, yet his hands became restrained with a bola. Ming's hands were also tied up by a bola and he stepped backwards before his legs were bound by a second bola. Afterwards, two Equalists were now holding Tahno in front of Amon with Ming and Shaozu on the ground.

The team captain fearfully pleaded:"Wait, please don't do this! I'll give you the championship pot". Amon raised his hand. "I'll-I'll give you everything! Just… Please, don't take my bending!".

Both Tanna and Anyu gasped. _So it is true, after all._ Anyu thought. _Amon does have the ability to take bending away._

Gradually, Amon placed his thumb on Tahno's forehead and took his bending away. Next, he did the same to the other Wolfbats, evoking loud gasps of shock from both of the crowd and the two young women who were holding an unconscious Saudorn. Shortly after, the Equalists dragged the Wolfbats near the edge of the ring, and kicked them off into the water. Then, several massive banners with the Equalist symbol were unrolled around the stands. Below, the Lieutenant was dragging Korra out of the water to be tied up. The young Avatar, now, seemed to be half conscious and began to have more visions about Aang. First, Aang and Toph stood in front of a row of metalbenders while Toph pointed towards someone and said something. Second, her vision faded to a man at a trial meeting with Aang seen standing behind him. Third, faded to the same man standing up. Finally, faded to Aang in the Avatar State, with the criminal cowering in front. Suddenly, Aang's tattoos stopped glowing. Back outside Korra's consciousness, the Lieutenant tied the Fire Ferrets to one of the supporting beams from the playing field structure. On the playing field, Amon was holding a microphone.

"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City", Amon spoke, "so once again, the Wolfbats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day". He pointed at the crowd. "You threaten and abuse your fellow nonbending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: If any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate". The spectators gasped again in fear and shock.

"Arrogant bastard", Anyu muttered, her teeth gritting.

"Now, to my followers: For years, the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City", Amon continued his speech. Down below, the Fire Ferrets had regained consciousness and were listenting to the Equalist leader's voice. "I'm happy to tell you, that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You, and your children, will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back our city".

Back to the Fire Ferrets, Mako spoke:"How are we gonna get out of here?".

Bolin smiled as he saw Pabu swimming in the water towards them, jumping onto the platform, approaching them.

"Pabu!", Bolin exclaimed, "listen up, buddy". He chattered his teeth at Pabu while Korra and Mako looked on in consternation.

Mako was annoyed. "Stop fooling around!", he chided his younger brother.

"I'm not! I'm trying to save us!", Bolin countered. Pabu began to chew on the ropes. "See? Pabu's not just a one trick poodle pony", Bolin said, proud of his fire ferret pet, causing Korra and Mako to smile at him.

"Now I have an... associate who wants to speak up for all of us. Mr. Agrigula". Amon looked back towards his Equalist guards, and a tall and very muscled man in a blood-red Equalist gear stepped forwards, lightly taking the microphone from Amon's hand, as the former joined his Equalist subordinates.

"For centuries, benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people", the man in red stated, "but thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field. Now anyone can hold the power of a chi blocker in their hand. My friend's followers, he, and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality, and once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has begun! And we shall fight - 'til - death!". He raised his fist in the air.

Suddenly, there was music blasting through the speakers. It was Slayer's Fight 'Til Death.

Metal and men clash once more to the end!

Warriors above with the power to kill, descend!

Militia of blood! Troops of hate! March to die!

Soldiers of Hell! Veterans of death! Arise!

Prepare for attack!

Your body will burn!

Endless war!

There's no return!

Prepare for attack!

Death will arrive!

Your orders are clear!

No way to hide!

Fight 'til death!

Senseless death of all Mankind overtakes!

Armored assassins destroy at will your escape!

Children of sorrow are trampled into the grave!

There is no future! No fucking world to be saved!

Prepare for attack!

Your body will burn!

Endless war!

There's no return!

Prepare for attack!

Death will arrive!

Your orders are clear!

No way to hide!

Fight 'til death!

To reign in Hell!

However, before the song ended, all of a sudden, the speakers were broken! And then there was silence... And then a great voice spoke:

"You wanna fight 'til death? How about a little thrash 'til death then?!".

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After falling unconscious because of the agony caused by my scar, I plummeted into darkness. I saw nothing. I heard nothing. I felt nothing. I was nothing. I didn't existed. Then, I heard a voice, a very strange, yet powerful voice, speaking to me:

"Suffering of the flesh is my specialty, for I am the Lord of Decay. Your scar is nothing but a scratch compared to what I have wreaked upon countless of subspecies struggling to survive among the stars, in the Materium. Stand, Saudorn Zalear. Stand. And fight. For I have picked you out from the puddle of phlegm and pus! Boils and guts! You have received my love! Stand, and fight! For you are... my champion".

Out of the blue, green light began to illuminate the blackness, and I saw my body floating in one spot, looking kind of weird amid all the greenness. Next, I looked at the source of the light. And I was petrified by the sight in front of me: It was Him, the Grandfather. Now I felt the clutches of madness threaten to crush the last bit of my existence. _Might of all realities, I have finally met him..._

"Time for you to return to the World of Benders. Time for you to make me proud, Saudorn Zalear. Time to prove to your foes that... you are indeed my Prince. The Prince of Rebirth".

Immediately, I felt myself get sucked towards my floating body, echoing scream of disappointment ( for leaving the Grandfather ) and horror ( for getting my short connection with Him severed ) like a desperate, ghastly wraith. And with a loud gasp, I woke up from that strange dream, finding myself sitting on the cold floor of the balcony, between Tanna and Anyu.

"Thank the Spirits, you awake!". Tanna hugged me pretty tightly. "You scared the daylight out of us!".

"Are you okay? What's happened?", Anyu gently asked me.

"I...". I blinked, trying to focus on reality. _The scar... Agrigula... They're here!_

As soon as one of my creations' name popped up inside my head, my eyes went wild. Swiftly, I stood up and looked at the playing field, finding Agrigula, 100% in human form, holding a microphone and addressing the crowd. Not wasting time, I turned to my female friends and said:

"You two stay here. I have some unfinished business to attend to".

"What? You're crazy!", Tanna objected, "I know you're a bender now, even though you didn't tell me and Anyu before out of some personal reason, but you already knew Amon can take away bending, right? Furthermore, that monster of a man is more than you can handle!". My receptionist friend pointed her index finger at Agrigula. "Not that... you're not big enough... But he's a true monster!". _Well, ain't that the truth._

"Tanna is right, Saudorn, you can't do this alone", Anyu backed her bff up, "that's why... I'm coming with you".

"Anyu!", Tanna gasped aloud.

"Anyu... I don't thi-", I intended to reason with her.

"No, I don't need your thinking", the young, Water Tribe woman cut me off, "I need to stay by your side, since it'll take Korra a while to get out of her own situation". She looked at Korra and the Fire Ferret brothers watching Pabu chew through the rings of rope that was tying them.

I glanced down at my girlfriend briefly, yet longingly. Then, I turned to Anyu.

"Very well, then". I nodded. Next, I turned to Tanna. "You stay here. And be safe".

Before Tanna could say anything, I jumped out of the balcony towards the playing field, forming two small, ragged-yet-smooth-where-I-put-my-feet-on chunks of microorganism to carry me to the ring safely, waving my hands around once, crushing the speakers after they played Slayer for a while in order to silence them ( _All Metal Gods forgive me_ ), Anyu following suit, having creating a water spout which connected to her lower body, enabling her to move to the playing field without having to use the mobile platform like me. Behind us, Tanna shouted:"I changed my mind, you TWO are crazy!", causing me to chuckle shortly.

The crowd, from being afraid and anxious, erupted with cheering and whooping upon seeing me - a "rising pro-bending star" - appear and challenge the Equalists ( and Agrigula ) together with Anyu - an unknown young woman, but a bender nonetheless.

"You wanna fight 'til death? How about a little thrash 'til death then?!", I announced towards one of my creations.

He laughed amusedly. "As much as I love to, with you and your new bitch". he gestured towards Anyu. "I have a lift to catch".

After that, he pointed upwards. I looked up, catching the sight of an airship above the arena. Rapidly, an area of the glass dome was smashed and ropes with platforms on the end were lowered down through the hole. Agrigula, Amon and his Equalists climbed onto the platforms and were lifted skyward, except three Equalists; one of them, I recognized as Hank, having connected my consciousness with all of them, and the others were... the brother and sister that I'd encountered that night on the way to rescue Bolin with Korra and Mako! _Someone wants a rematch tonight._ However, I had no time for them!

"Don't try to run from me, coward!". Quickly, I created a whip, lashing it towards Agrigula, intending to pull him off the ascending platform; yet Hank disintegrated the whip's thong and fall.

"I don't think so, Mr. Creator", Hank said, grinning wickedly, "it seems to me that you need another decisive... touch".

"No, he doesn't". The Equalist boy cut him off. "He's mine". He stepped fowards.

Hank shrugged, then jumped very high in the air in the direction of the airship.

"For my head, and for my sister, you will pay", the boy spoke, taking on a fighting stance, earning a look from his masked sister, who also took on a fighting stance alongside him.

"Let's get this over with", Anyu, who'd been staying silent for the entire time, uttered next to me, smiling, her voice firm and assertive.

I turned to her and nodded. _It won't be even a match this time._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After witnessing Saudorn and that Anyu girl making their way over to the ring, I urged Bolin to tell Pabu to speed up a bit, wanting to fight side by side with my boyfriend again, not caring about the fact that there was another girl near him up there at the moment. Bolin replied, telling me that he couldn't prompt Pabu to speed up if he wanted to, because the fire ferret didn't know words like "faster" or "slower", frustrating the heck outta me. That was when I heard several explosions up there, shaking the arena, causing people to scream aloud in fear.

"What is going on?!", I shouted.

"It's okay, Pabu, just a litle explosion", Bolin soothed his pet, who was spooked by the loud noises. Shortly after, he chattered to Pabu quickly. "Keep chewing, you're almost through it!".

The fire ferret moved forwards to keep chewing through the rope. A short while later, the last bit of rope was finished, freeing all of us. _Finally!_ Immediately, I ran towards the water, running off the platform, freezing the water in the pool. Next, I looked up, pretty worried, seeing Amon escaping. I turned back to the brothers, changing my mind about helping Saudorn.

"I'm going after Amon!".

"Be careful!", Mako called after me as I turned and moved away.

Now I jumped into the water, waterbending myself up in a massive water cyclone. _That Northern Water Tribe girl is not the only one who can do the water cyclone, heh heh._ I erupted from beneath, making my way towards the hole in the roof, stealing a glance at Saudorn and Anyu battling two Equalist chi-blockers. _Thank the Spirits, he's still okay._ Suddenly, I felt the water cyclone weaken, realizing that I was not going to make it. _No, not now!_ I began to fall, hand outstretched towards the ceiling, screaming out loud in panic. And then I heard Saudorn cry out loud.

"Korra!".

All of a sudden, a cable was shot through the air, catching me, wrapping itself around my waist. _Who-_ I looked up to see Lin as she circled me, being held up by another cable. Next, Lin shot me up and out of the arena, heading towards the Equalists. _Time for some payback!_ I firebent at the blood-red-armored Equalist, who I assumed to be Agrigula, recognizing him as the monster I'd faced back outside that factory, only in complete human form! And at his subordinate - the creepily thin man. _How is it possible?_ However, both of them jumped away from the platforms and up into the airship. Angry because I missed, I firebent Amon's henchmen off the rising platform instead, grabbing one of the ropes. I looked down briefly to look out for Amon's goons in case they came back up instantly, seeing Saudorn and Anyu still fighting the two Equalist chi-blockers down on the playing field, down inside the arena, before turning toward the airship, seeing Amon, Agrigula and Thin Man looking down at me. _I'm not afraid of all of you!_ Overcoming my hesitation, I punched out a fireball upwards, knocking the Equalists back except for the trio, who simply looked on, then walked away.

Now, I looked below, witnessing the entire area with Lin's police force in flames. At the roof, Lin metalbent up upon it, shooting her cables towards the airship. That was when an Equalist approached me, only to be grabbed by the cable and slammed down onto the glass. Then, two more Equalists slid down my rope, knocking me off the platform, slamming down on the roof. _Damn them!_ As Lin tried to metalbend onto the nearest rope, Goggle Guy, a.k.a. the Lieutenant, approached, striking her down with his kali sticks, having taken adventage of the element of surprise, Lin gasping in pain, falling forward to the ground. _Bastard!_ Shortly after, three other Equalists rushed toward her. Immediately, I firebent at once to help Lin, knocking one down. The downed Equalist rolled over and attempted to stand up, but I quickly stood on him. About the remaining two Equalists? I firebent at both swiftly before preparing another attack, hitting the Lieutenant with a fire blast from behind as he moved to deal a knockout blow to Lin. He fell to the ground, but quickly recovered to a half-kneeling stance. I moved to firebend at him straightaway. And that was when my blast of fire suddenly vanished into thin air! _What the-_

"Get the police bitch, Lieutenant. She's mine". I heard that dreadfully familiar, feminine voice again, to my right. _Spirits, you gotta be kidding me._

"Yes, ma'am", the Lieutenant replied.

I turned to face my second archenemy, who was wearing some kind of black latex suit, revealing a big portion of her cleavage, gritting my teeth. "You again".

"Ain'tcha happy to see your Mistress again?", the sadistic bitch teased.

"Happy? Never!", I spat.

"Very well then, you need to be reminded of your place, my little rebellious slave". She grinned a cruel grin, hand creating a lightning sphere. "Time to stay down!".

With that, she threw the thing super fast towards me, causing me to scream aloud in fright. Notwithstanding, when I felt that the sphere was near me, I was lifted up in the air, avoiding the critical strike! After that, I heard a yelp of pain, turning to my left to see the Lieutenant get electroshocked by the very sphere intended for me, dropping Lin down onto the glass roof, having picked her up on his shoulder.

"No, it's you who needs to stay down, bitch", someone behind me spoke.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

 _So much for "it won't be even a match this time"._ It'd been over five minutes, and both I and Anyu didn't even bring down the Equalist siblings as they have learned much about waterbending and were wearing each a special Equalist suit to stop me from controlling their body ( where the hell did they get that kind of suit? ). Also, they were somehow informed about my ability to manipulate microorganisms, so they'd anticipated every move I chucked at them ( probably because of that Sojana cunt ). Anyway, not even teasing them back helped one bit. They had clearly steeled their minds.

"What the matter, big boy? Can't seem to hit me anymore?", the brother teased me.

 _Try to aggravate me, huh? Doesn't work on me, little boy._ While I created cobblestone-sized objects and sent them at the brother and sister, Anyu forming water out of thin air, turning them to both ice blades and small ice orbs, hurling them towards our opponents, us two dodging their bolas and electric whips, I tried to find another way to defeat them. _What to do? What to do? Come on, Brain, help me out here! If normal fight and teasing can't help, then I need to switch to a different tactic. Maybe use verbal assault? No, that won't be of service much, only worsens things further. How about flatter them in order to distract them? Credibly not. What about... brutal truth? Yeah, nothing impacts as hard as brutal truth!_ Focusing, I linked my consciousness to Anyu, speaking to her.

 _Stop what you're doing, Anyu._

 _Wha- Who-_

 _It's me, Saudorn. I'm speaking to you psychically. And don't turn to me! Focus on what's going on before you!_

 _Okay, okay! Wow. I didn't know you can-_

 _I can, as I am able to control microorganisms. Now stop what you're doing. I know how to defeat them._

 _How?_

 _The truth._

Before Anyu could reply, I cut off the connection between our minds and stopped fighting entirely, prompting the Water Tribe young woman to follow suit, both of us dodging another volley of bolas and electric whips. Shortly afterwards, I spoke aloud, having modified my throat for a booming voice, to the rest of the spectators who hadn't run out of the arena yet:

"Ladies and gentlemen, benders and nonbenders... and my dear Equalist opponents, my name is Saudorn Zalear. As you know, I am a reserved team member of the Fire Ferrets; however, I am NOT a bender, and I am NOT a nonbender either, like what you saw me do incredible thing just now". I motioned to the 'battlefield' that was the ring. "Now I know you are confused, but please, hear me out: I hail from a very far land, a fallen land. Lost and forsaken. That's because I made a mistake, I made great enemies out of demented individuals, and one of them is that Equalist in blood-red armor, who said to be Amon's associate". Next, I turned to the brother and sister. "You are Equalists, so you know what I'm talking about, do you? You have seen Agrigula and his subordinates. You know what they are. But do you truly know what they're capable of?". The siblings were silent. "I'll show you".

Finishing my sentence, I proceeded to construct a fairly big, mini slab of delta-like land, designing a part of my home city - Toronto - in flames. Following that, I crumbled the tall buildings and shaped big details about streets, some smaller buildings, cars and people; soon after, I fabricated horrid monstrosities killing and eating, destroying everything and infesting the place with their disgusting nests. When I was done, I looked at the siblings, who gazed at my dismal 'work of art' , still in silence, though I know they were shocked, repulsed and frightened by the sight before their eyes. Beside me, I felt fear and horror creep deep into Anyu's mind. _I'm sorry, Anyu_. I continued the speech:

"This will happen to this world, your world, my Equalist friends. But don't think it's yours only, it's theirs too". I gestured towards the spectators. "Do you really want this to happen? I don't mean you should surrender or anything, I just want you to think about it all. Is it worth it? Your thirst for revenge has already been used by Agrigula. This is no longer a war, but a crusade for blood and living meals. A plague of hatred and madness. You want to avenge your sister because of something I'm not sure whether I did or not, but I think you NEED to know: THIS". I gestured at the 'art'. "Is gonna happen, whether you're on Amon's side or Republic City's. Now go".

The siblings looked at each other. Consequently, they decided to listen to me and run off. Quickly, I instructed Anyu before she could talked, without looking at her:

"Tenzin is to my right. Help him get everyone, including Tanna, out of here".

"And what about you?".

"I have to go help Korra", I responded, ripping a big piece of concrete from the ring floor and ascending to the roof through the hole, having felt Sojana's presence near Korra while I'd been keeping track of her since the Chief of Police helped her move towards the Equalist airship.

Once I was in the air above the roof, I saw a big lightnight sphere sent forwards in the young Avatar's direction, rapidly lifting my girlfriend up in the air and raising a non-absorbable wall some centimeters behind her to redirect the sphere towards Goggle Guy, knocking him down on the glass.

"No, it's you who needs to stay down, bitch", I said while lowering Korra onto the roof and moving the piece of concrete near the glass's surface in order for me to step down, standing side-by-side with the Southern Water Tribe young woman.

As soon as the young Avatar's feet touched the glass, she swiftly rushed to me and gave me a warm, tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay", she uttered.

"And I'm glad you are too". I smiled at her. And then, I turned to Sojana. "Are you ready to receive an ass-whooping of a lifetime?".

"Oh, please, you say it as if this is gonna be my first time ever". My ex chuckled aloud. "Why, in fact, you have not only whooped my ass, but drilled its... hole as well". She grinned naughtily.

 _Goddamn you, you fuckin' whore._

"After this, you'd better tell me everything. And I mean _everything_ ". Korra didn't look too pleased upon hearing the Bitch's reply.

Right before I could say anything, two lightning spheres were sent at us; nonetheless, no matter how fast they were, my reflexes were faster, me creating two soft, yet big sponge-like things, letting them absorb the lightning and dispersing them immediately. In retaliation, Korra leaped up and firebent from her feet, which Sojana avoided. That was when two Equalists moved to help my crazed ex. Nearby, Lin Beifong sat up, noticing the Equalists, rapidly shooting her cables towards them, wrapping around them and were spun out of their way. Next, she twirls around, breakdance-style, in order to generate enough velocity to push herself onto her feet. While spinning around, she bent the metal slabs under the two Equalists and catapulted them away in opposite directions. As she pushed herself up, she retracted her metal cables, looking at Amon's airship. _She intends to pursue them!_

"No, Lin, don't do it. It's too dange-".

All of a sudden, I noticed a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, turning towards Sojana's direction, finding out that Sojana had thrown another lightning sphere at me. I heard someone shout "No!", then, a strong, big jet of fire hit the sphere, pushing it away into another direction. After that, with a cry of rage, Korra sprinted towards my ex, dodging sphere after sphere, hurled at her direction with a slower speed than the last time. _She's baiting her!_ Quickly, I dashed forwards too, in time to engage in a hand-to-hand combat with the Bitch, together with my girlfriend. Shortly after, out of nowhere, Sojana's right hand flashed lightning, aiming a swipe at Korra, causing me to warn her right away, seeing her jump backwards out of my ex's range. Grinning madly, my female opponent swung her hand, directing a horizontally crescent-moon-shaped piece of lightning at me, prompting me to send a vertically crescent-moon-shaped object towards it, resulting in a pretty intense explosion. There was smoke and flashes of lightning everywhere. At once, I covered my face so as not to inhale the smoke. When the smoke faded away, I no longer saw Sojana before me; slightly panicked, I looked around, discovering that she was fighting with Korra. _Son of a bitch, that move was just a diversion!_ The Avatar ducked under her opponent's wide swing, retaliating by grabbing hold of Sojana left wrist, having covered her hand with an iced "glove" to prevent herself from getting electroshocked, and kneeing the older woman in the stomach with her left leg. _Smart girl._ Korra's foe was swung around in a half-circle motion, and was slammed roughly on the glass ground behind her.

Korra instantly retracted her left leg and prepared for a flaming half-moon kick, while I formed a very ragged-surfaced rock-like block of solid microorganisms. As my girlfriend's kick was past its zenith, ready to crush Sojana, she caught the kick head-on, pushing the Avatar foot upwards, intending to let her fall flat on her back. Nevertheless, Korra flipped her body 180 degrees to land on her feet. Immediately, my ex jumped forwards, attempting a bicycle kick, aiming at my Avatar girlfriend's face, but Korra ducked. Right after that, the Fire Ferret girl strived to hit her opponent with two firebending punches, yet she dodged them both. Korra narrowly missed with a firebending kick, and Sojana prepared to strike back with what appeared to be a roundhouse kick. Seeing that it was my cue to act, I pulled Korra away, using my powers, and hurled the rock-like thing at my ex. Notwithstanding, she used her left hand, flashing lightning, to chop the object in half! Not wasting time, I charged towards Sojana, and when I was near her, I aimed a backfist at her, getting caught by her hand. Next, we initiate another session of hand-to-hand combat, resulting in my ex grabbing my shoulders, jumping over me, intending to hit me with an Enzuigiri, prompting me to block the kick with my arms, spotting Korra exchange blows with Goggle Guy, suddenly getting leg-swept, falling on the glass on my back. Instantaneously, I saw Sojana stand over me, her hand flashing lightning again; before she could strike me, I rolled out of the way in time to witness Korra firebend at her opponent after being hit by him, him being flung off the roof and tumbling down towards the water. As she heavily landed on the glass, it cracked underneath her feet, alarming her.

Subsequently, the ceiling broke and she fell through, screaming my name. Shouting my girlfriend's name, I roughly shouldered my ex out of the way just as she prepared to elbow me in the face, plunging down the hole after Korra. Coating the sole of my boots with microorganisms, I made them release fire to speed up my descent, heading in the direction of the Avatar, catching her around the waist, instantly constructing a thick, yet soft, carpet, shaping safety belts around the two of us, hugging her protectively. And time seemed to slow down as I gazed into her beautiful, blue eyes, brushing some strands of hair away from her face, immediately getting a kiss from her, longingly kissing her back. When the carpet hit the floor of the playing field, the absorbed impact caused us to break our kiss, grunting lightly uncomfortably. After melting the safety belts away, I looked up towards the ceiling, searching for Sojana's presence, when I saw someone fall down from the hole too.

"Oh no, it's Lin!", standing up beside me, my girlfriend shouted, alarmed.

"I got her!", I responded.

Without delay, I concentrated on covering the Chief of Police's armor with microorganisms, using them to slow down her fall. But because of the distance and the limits of my powers, I had to try very hard to keep the super small lifeforms from breaking apart. Two minutes later, too tired to move out of the way, I just lay there as Chief Beifong crashed on top of me. After a while, she crawled up on all fours, unintentionally straddling me. Before standing up, she whispered gratefully:

"Thanks for saving me".

Then, she kissed my left cheek, provoking a gasp of astonishment from Korra. Ignoring the Avatar's reaction, the Chief of Police turned to her and asked:

"You all right?".

"I, uhm, I'm fine, thanks to him". My girlfriend gestured at me.

"Don't mention it, both of you, I'm here to serve". I stood up, chuckling, making Korra blush bright red while Lin looked away, probably to hide her embarrassment.

Soon after, we three looked up at the fleeing airship.

"Looks like we lost this one", Chief Beifong commented.

That was when Mako and Bolin bent their way into the ring, both of them hugging me and Korra tightly.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!", Mako said.

"Me too!", Bolin added, and we four smiled at each other.

After the group hug, I saw Tenzin and Anyu bend themselves and Tanna into the ring as well, the Councilman placing a hand on Lin while the other young women rushing towards me for a hug, saying that they were very worried about me, but I told them I was fine, making them smile in relief.

"I can't believe Amon did this. I played right into his hand". Chief Beifong sighed, ashamed.

"He played us all", Tenzin comforted his friend. "Republic City is at war", he stated.

 _So... the war is finally here. But it doesn't matter, we will fight, and we will either win or die standing._ I thought as the song Thrash 'Til Death by Destruction played in my mind.

 _Metal - revolution!_

 _Possessed - We fight! Hand in hand!_

 _Sardonic - aversions!_

 _Only in union we stand!_

 _Depressive - perspective_

 _gives us a place to retreat!_

 _Never divided!_

 _No discussions! Stay to the roots!_

 _Real cultures, out of plastic!_

 _Can't share their philosophies!_

 _Sarcasm - and passion!_

 _We have our own forces!_

 _Dictators - predators_

 _won't rule our black hearts!_

 _Bestial - invasion_

 _explodes in our evil souls!_

 _They can't break our will!_

 _We have the pleasure to kill!_

 _We are bonded by blood!_

 _Again, they will rot!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Immortal soul - Takes control - Immortal soul._

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Immortal soul - Takes control - Immortal soul._

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Discover - our history!_

 _This rebellion ain't a fuckin' trend!_

 _Stillborn - music_

 _swallows our self-defense!_

 _Metal - revolution!_

 _Possessed - We fight - Hand in hand!_

 _Eternal - conviction!_

 _Only in union we stand!_

 _They can't break our will!_

 _We have the pleasure to kill!_

 _We are bonded by blood!_

 _Again, they will rot!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Immortal soul - Takes control - Immortal soul._

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Immortal soul - Takes control - Immortal soul._

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _They can't break our will!_

 _We have the pleasure to kill!_

 _We are bonded by blood!_

 _Again, they will rot!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Immortal soul - Takes control - Immortal soul._

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Immortal soul - Takes control - Immortal soul._

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 _Thrash 'til death!_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	19. Chapter 16

**Note: I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XVI - Innocent?**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Korra's p.o.v.

 _I still can't believe they actually attacked the arena._ I looked at the damaged building sadly while riding on Naga towards it, with Saudorn sitting behind me, one of his arms wrapping around my waist warmly while his other hand gently squeezing my right shoulder, comforting me, him credibly gazing at the building as well. The glass dome was broken in places and construction scaffolding was in place around it. There were some cars which were parked near the entrance, blocked off by a police barricade. As Naga approached the barricade, Saudorn lightly jumped off the polar bear-dog, me following suit; then, I just stared at the arena.

"It's alright, sweetheart, it's not your fault", my boyfriend soothed me for the umpteenth time.

"I know. But I... just can't get the idea of me 'helping' Tarrlok change the vote. If I didn't do that...". I closed my eyes, thinking back about that mistake.

"Listen to me, Korra". Saudorn turned me around mildly, his hands on my shoulders. "I know pro-bending is your passion, as metal music is my passion. I'll tell you what it is later. Anyway, following your passion is to live, even if with abandon; that's the beauty of being a mortal". He stroked my hair. "And talk about beauty, wasn't it great now that Tenzin allows both Mako and Bolin to live on Air Temple Island?! Finally, you have the taste of _close_ friends! The pun is intended".

Upon hearing my boyfriend mention the good news again, the sadness and the blaming in my mind suddenly vanished, making me smile brightly. Yes, it was so good to make all the arrangements with Saudorn under Tenzin's permission!

"Yeah, you're right! It's beautiful indeed". I hugged him affectionately. "I'm so glad you were there helping me all along, even though you don't have to".

"My pleasu-"

"Anyhow, I'm, too, glad that... you didn't try to evade me when I wanted to know about you and... your ex". Caught up in the moment, I unintentionally interrupted my boyfriend, flushed by his explanation about... anal sex. ( "Well, uh... what she, my ex, said, uhm... 'drilling its hole' means... anal sex. Like, having sex with the... second hole instead of the first hole, ya know?" )

Immediately, awkwardness covered my boyfriend's face. "You... have to mention that, don't you?".

"I...", I stammered.

To my surprise, he just shrugged. "Oh well, you're 17 already. Can't treat you like a child anymore". Next, he wrapped his right arm around my shoulders. "And talk about treat, let's race! Winner gets a treat from loser!". He playfully shoved me forwards.

"You're so on, Mister!". I laughed, running towards the arena's entrance.

Four minutes later, we both walked up to the attic ( and let me tell you, Saudorn was the loser *giggle* . Couldn't wait to get some treatment from him! ), me excitedly announcing to the brothers:

"Guys! Great news. You don't have to go back on the streets. I talked to Tenzin and I and Saudorn made all the arrangements. You can come live on Air Temple Island with us!".

Upon hearing that, Mako replied haltingly:"Oh, we'd love to, but...".

"Asami already invited us to live in her dad's giant mansion!", Bolin exclaimed happily, causing me to be very disappointed. "From here on out, it's gonna be the lap of luxury for us". _Luxury. Cool._

Before my boyfriend could either say or ask something, someone spoke from behind and above us, to the left. It was Asami's voice. _And she's here, too. Great._

"Oh hey, Korra, Saudorn. I was hoping you would stop by".

As we turned around, we saw her holding Pabu then let it go, and climbed down the ladder.

"Hey, Asami". Next to me, my boyfriend greeted the girl amicably, earning my elbow to his rib.

"Korra!", he yelped in surprise.

"I was just leaving", I addressed Asami. Then, I turned to Mako and Bolin, waving. "So, I guess we'll see you guys around, some time".

As I was about to leave, I felt my boyfriend put his hand on my shoulder.

"Korra, remember what I said about you being 17", he whispered in my ear, "you were supposed to be a bit mature".

That was when Asami said:

"Why not tomorrow? I'd love to have you two come visit the estate".

"I don't know. I have some... Avatar stuff to do. And Saudorn also...".

"And I would love it if you come visit Asami's place with me". Saudorn moved to wrap his arm around my waist, kissing my temple slightly.

After that, I heard Bolin speak, turning around to see him hold up Pabu, realizing that his voice was quite high-pitched, spotting an accent, waving the fire ferret in front of his face so that it looked like it was talking.

"Come on, Korra. We all deserve a little rest and relaxation after all this craziness. We could swim in Asami's pool. It'll be fun!".

I chuckled, affected by Bolin's goofiness. "All right, Pabu". I nodded, earning a thumb-up from my boyfriend.

"Great, we'll see you tomorrow". Asami walked next to Mako and Bolin, waving, as I and Saudorn departed, waving back.

As soon as we exited the arena, I asked Saudorn why he had agreed to come to Hiroshi's place, as he told me back at Tarrlok's gala that luxury was "nothing more than a façade to mask dishonesty". He, then, calmly replied that he wanted us to arrive there not to enjoy the luxury, and signaled me to get to Naga. Once we climbed onto my mount and sped away, my boyfriend told me about him being able to connect his consciousness to everyone's but Hiroshi's, suspecting that the man was hiding something, probably information concerning Amon and Agrigula; so, the reason he wanted to be at the mansion tomorrow, was to discreetly investigate the captain of industry. When I heard this, I immediately asked my boyfriend why he hadn't told me right away, to which he responded that it was in the middle of Tarrlok's gala, and that it was when our relationship was... pretty stranded. Next, I was shocked by his suggestion about Asami's father either knowing much more about Amon and Agrigula than he let on or even involved with those two. It was a very very disturbing thought... but it made sense! Think about Amon's airship! Hiroshi was a genius, so it wouldn't be that hard to build an airship, or more, for the Equalists, if he was indeed, involved!

However, even as I saw logic behind Saudorn's conjecture, it was pretty hard to believe someone like Hiroshi Sato embracing the Equalist policies, working with the likes of Amon and Agrigula, especially the latter. While Naga was still carrying us towards the dock, I and my boyfriend were completely silent, each to one's own thought, me feeling him hugging me more securely, certainly worried about my safety, the fingers of one of my hands moving to intertwine with his, again. _It's okay, Saudorn, I won't let myself be harmed. I promise. I love you._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After the incident the night before, after offering a safe place to live on Air Temple Island because of the coming war, politely refused, and saying goodbye to Tanna and Anyu, and after I, Korra and Tenzin had returned to the island from the arena, we were greeted by the councilman's worried family, who rushed towards him and hugged him, expressing their fear and concern, and Azara, having come back from her cosmic business. When I saw Jinora and Ikki all red-and-puffy-eyed from crying, I couldn't help but be very angry at my enemies, at their inability to sympathize, and at their remorseless action. Of course I couldn't blame my creations for all that, because I'd made them that way; I was the one to blame. Nonetheless, no matter how hard I wanted to blame myself, I could hardly do it also, for I'd already done that, witnessing the downfall of Earth. My regret-o-meter had reached its limit. _Then, the only thing left to do is to blame Amon for allowing this to happen._ Yeah, I could do that too, yet I wouldn't. I definitely would do the same thing if I was in his shoes. _Only a fool thinks he/she can face Agrigula alone. Agrigula, who has brute strength and bloodlust the same as the Primarch Angron's and a fucked-up definition of amusing entertainment the same as Emperor Caligula's. To call him a monster is to make an understatement. No, he's the embodiment of war and warfare. Both Ares and Athena. A force to reckon with. Not mentioning he's originally hails from the Realm of The Unknown, "Where All Realities Shuns With Horrified Fervor", meaning Amon's bloodbending doesn't mean squat to him. Hell, even the Avatar State can't compete with such being. Therefore, Amon has no choice but to work with that abominable son of a bitch; also, from what I can remember about Book 1 of the Legend of Korra, Amon truly believes bending is the source of all evil, thus he just becomes the lesser of two evils: Either allying himself and the Equalists with Agrigula or suffering a fate worse than death._ And knowing all that there was to it didn't make my anger go away. On the contrary, it only burned brighter.

As Tenzin and his family went to their room, I told Korra to go to her room and waited for me while I informed my female mentor about what'd happened at the arena. After the Avatar was gone, I proceeded to speak, recapitulate everything, telling her that the war was finally upon us. Disturbed by the fact that the Equalist siblings, who I and Anyu had fought against in the pro-bending ring, possessed anti-psychic suits to be able to counter my living being manipulation, Azara expressed her concern for me, asking me how I could defeat them at all, to which I responded that I decided to show them some scenes about what'd happened to my home city, using the microorganisms as the building materials, to send them on their way rather than to defeat them. Upon hearing this, Azara praised me for my excellent and fearless thinking, using my traumatic past experiences as a tool to fend off my foes ( "now that takes more guts than being a daredevil" ), smiling proudly. Nevertheless, her smile didn't last long, for she had bad news: Zulathulhu's third legion - the Legion of The Damned - had expanded from a band of annoying shapeshifters to the most successful branch of their All-Lord's ever-spreading plaguing empire, controlling a total sum of fifty-five realities! _Fifty-five... realities._ That was bad news number one. Bad news number two was Esillith had a new order: We had to capture Sojana ALIVE at all costs. I was really puzzled by that order. Why did Esillith want my resurrected ex captured alive? And the answer was as shocking as the news about the Legion of The Damned itself: Through finding a heavily classified piece of information, Sojana was believed to be formerly a very high-ranking member of Phoborth's Legion, possibly the original Commander herself, meaning she knew where Phoborth's - her successor - Headquarters were, also meaning if Esillith's forces knew where that place was, they would be able to either obliterate the HQ or capture Phoborth or even assassinate him! Like a snake without a head, with no leader to guide them, the Legion of The Damned would become highly disorganized, and the effortless retaking of the captured realities would make everyone's life so much easier! Like Azara'd said after finishing delivering the news, this was huge.

Yet you wonder why it's such a bad news? Because Sojana was my ex, and because she had chosen my Avatar girfriend to be her new target. She was crafty, she was ruthless, and now she wanted to get rid of Korra. That, combined with Agrigula wanting to get rid of the last airbenders, and this news, equaled a very heavy burden I and Azara were going to carry. No wonder Zulathulhu'd sent Sojana here, he not only wanted to distract me, but also desired to render this world completely defenseless! With Sojana as both a prize and a diversion, Amon and Agrigula were entirely free to deal with the two of Korra and the airbenders. After that, the World of Benders was next and I would be the main course. It was a gamble, an extremely risky one at that, but it was worth it. At that moment, I sensed a chill crawl down my spine, for I realized now that the stakes were raised so very damnably high. Afterwards, my female mentor told me that it was time to tell me something else, but that something had to wait 'til morning, because she saw that I was dead tired; and frankly, I didn't even object to that.

Subsequently, I said goodnight to Azara, heading towards Korra's room, getting half-naked and climbing on the bed, snuggling against her from behind, hugging her, feeling her entertwine her fingers with mine. With a soft "goodnight, sweetheart", I kissed her neck and then fell asleep soon after.

And now, I was inside the ferry, sitting beside Korra and Naga, approaching the island gradually. This morning, after I and my girlfriend woke up, we did the usual routine, then Korra asked Tenzin permission to let Mako and Bolin live on the island with all of us. After receiving the go-ahead from the councilman, I and the Avatar went to make arrangements. Way after that, we were up in the arena's attic, telling the brothers about the good news, yet were beaten to it by Asami. That was when I had an idea about investigating her father. Once us loving couple left the arena, I told my Avatar girlfriend about what I had in mind after being asked why I'd accepted Asami's offer. Needless to say, the Avatar was shocked upon hearing it, and it made us both silent all the way to the island. As soon as the ferry arrived at its destination, I and Korra got off it and were headed towards the temple. There, we parted ways again as I had to hear for myself what Azara'd wanted to talk to me about the night before, in her room, of course.

Once inside, Azara told me to sit down on a chair opposite hers; next, she waved her hand in the air once, covering the room's walls, ceiling, floor and door with the identical greyish halo, explaining to me that she'd just frozen time around us, preventing what she was about to tell me from spilling out into unwanted ear or ears, and preventing any outsider to walk in on us, interrupting our talk. Following that, she spoke, filling me in on one of the facts of all realities: Her father, Esillith, was one of the very first cosmic beings who created the first realities; and as they created lesser beings and subspecies to fill the "Material Void" with life, some of the cosmic beings were corrupted by power and overworship from zealous subspecies, thus the concept of Good and Evil was born. For the first thousands of billions of years, the conflict, and sometimes, war, for balance and equilibrium, between Good and Evil raged on and on and on and on, until some of the good cosmic beings grew tired of it all, deciding to stay away from the Great Struggle, causing the word 'Weary' to be originated. This, dealt a heavy blow to the forces of Good as there even were other beings who were simply 'Indifferent', not caring about order at all; these, were the embodiments of Terror and Chaos, who took no one's side, only interested in their own agendas. Upon seeing the Extreme Shift of Power, Esillith and the remaining few of good beings resolved to fabricate a kind of supreme energy, with which a worthy individual could help the forces of Good maintain the stability of all realities. And that individual worthy enough to possess the Energy was called... the Guardian.

Throughout many aeons, Guardians came and went, as soon as they were no longer in their prime. Why? Because each individual reacted towards the Energy differently upon possessing it. Not all could keep it until the moment they passed away. Some could be in their prime for a period of thousands of years, some only a few hundreds. Shortly after, Azara intended to tell me more when she stopped, waving her hand again, making all the halo disappear. At that moment, the sliding door was slid open violently, damaged pretty badly, by none other than my Avatar girlfriend, prompting me to stare at the mess, open-mouthed. _Tenzin is not gonna like this._

"Tenzin is going to kill me for this", Korra muttered, appalled. Then, after a quick apology to me and my female mentor, she said urgently:"We need to get to the police station, now".

Excusing myself to Azara, I followed my girlfriend, asking her just what in damnation was going on, and she responded, telling me that the Chief of Police - Lin Beifong - had uncovered a great amount of evidence linking a Lau Gan-Lan to the Equalists.

"Uh, Lau who?", I inquired her, running beside her.

"Lau Gan-Lan, the head of the Cabbage Corp - rival company of Future Industries. Surely you heard of him? Or at least the company's name?".

All of a sudden, there was a flash of memory before my eyes: A man who yelled "My cabbages!" way back in... Avatar: The Last Airbender? _My cabbages... My cabbages! Yes, of course, the Cabbage Merchant! And that means... this Lau Gan-Lan guy is related to him? Oh, man, never thought about that at all!_

When I focused again, I saw that Korra was glancing at me, her eyes as if asking:"What's so funny?", seeing that I was grinning from ear to ear. I just shrugged, earning a roll of the eyes from the Avatar. About twenty-five minutes later, we both arrived outside the police station; after dismounting Naga, we entered the huge building hurriedly, me barely catching another glance of the big statue at the center of the building's face. _Was that... Was that Toph Beifong?_ Next, I asked Korra where we were headed at the moment, to which she said that Tenzin and Lin were questioning people in one of the Interrogation Rooms, number 3, so we would go there. As we slowed down, approaching the room, we noticed Tahno sitting on a bench near the hallway railings, on the left.

"Hey, Korra. Big Guy", he greeted us tiredly and sadly.

Korra was surprised. "Tahno?".

His hair was a mess and there were bags under his eyes, still saddened over losing his bending to Amon. Korra sat down on the bench beside Tahno while I stood next to her.

"Listen, I know we're not exactly best friends, but I'm sorry Amon took your bending", she told the guy.

"I've been to the best healers in the city. Whatever Amon did to me, it's permanent". _Imagine Amon's ability has time limit, that would be fun. "Oh, shit, I forgot about the time limit. Fuck me!"._ Tahno looked at Korra, then me, determined. "You guys gotta get him for me". _Sure, bruh._

We both nodded. That was when Lin, Tenzin and Hiroshi Sato walked up to the bench.

"Mr. Sato, if you remember anything else about what you saw during Amon's attack, be sure to let us know", Lin was saying.

"I'm happy to help any way I can. I want these Equalists to pay for what they've done", Hiroshi replied. _Really? You may want to say that again after I'm done investigating you._

He, then, nodded towards Tahno, Korra and me, and walked away.

"We're ready for you now", Tenzin stated towards Tahno.

He and Lin walked away. The former Wolfbat captain stood up and turned back to wave at Korra and me. "See you around...". He smiled slightly. "Uh"vatar. Big Guy".

He followed Tenzin and Lin, still sad.

"So that's why you gave him the silent treatment huh?". Korra turned to me.

"I figured old habit dies hard. So why not?". I shrugged.

After that, we sat down and waited for our turn for the interrogation. While we were at it, I determined to tell Korra that it was time for her to know what my enemies were capable of exactly, not fearing that her mind couldn't handle the gruesome images anymore. _The war is fast approaching and she needs to know._ She looked at me warily, saying that she didn't know if she was ready for it yet. Nevertheless, I told her she had to, because my memories were the information she needed to understand just how high the stakes had become. After telling her to close her eyes, I closed mine and linked my consciousness with hers, re-creating Earth as a planet and walking my girlfriend through what'd happened back then, to my city and some other places across Canada. And needless to say, true horror finally set in Korra's mind, now that she had a very 'good' idea what we all were going to face: A plague of blasphemy and darkness. Once I decided that she had seen enough, I retreated from her mind, opening my eyes, turning to her, seeing tears running down her cheeks. As I used my finger to wipe away those tears, she opened her eyes and gave me a sudden, tight hug. And it was pretty strange, she didn't cry or sob at all, she just hugged me.

When it was our turn, and when her cheeks were dry, we entered the room, Korra asking Lin if it was true that she'd found evidence linking the Cabbage Corp to the Equalists, with the Chief of Police giving her a simple nod. Then, the Chief of Police and Tenzin proceeded to question us, all business-like. After about twenty minutes, we were done, I and Korra heading back outside. Before I could climb onto the polar-bear dog, the Avatar spun me around and wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me deeply, prompting me to kiss her back. Thirty seconds later, as our lips parted, I asked her what that was for, to which she smiled, saying she just resolved to give the loser a treat instead of letting me do it. Feeling very warm in my heart, I replied, telling her that it didn't matter, I lost fair and square; therefore, she'd get a treat later that night, from me.

Afterwards, we were back on Air Temple Island again. For the rest of the day, I and Korra, each, concentrated on our own training; me, whipping, Korra, airbending. Then, we just carried on with the late lunch, the relaxing, the dinner, and then, the treat. At midnight, that night, Korra snuck into my room, us beginning a steamy love session together ( with the main course as the Avatar rubbing her pussy along my dick again, of course, though not without me teaching her the 69 first, heh heh ), achieving so many orgasms after four continuous rounds, accompanied by a ten-minute break between each round. When we both were too tired to continue, we were just two sleeping, naked and sweaty bodies entangled in one another's limbs.

...

Came the next morning, after waking up, being much bolder and naughtier than we'd actually been, we figured it'd be nice to have a morning session of near sex, achieving only two rounds this time. Next, we put our old clothes on, brought along toothbrushes and our new clothes, went to the bathroom and did the hygiene stuff, feeling like we were a happy, married couple. Following that, we went to have breakfast in the dining hall, then we told Tenzin that we had an invitation from Asami to visit her home, departing after receiving a nod from the councilman.

Soon enough, we arrived at the Sato estate, going through the lowest level, which consisted of a Paifang ( a Chinese architectural arch, or gateway structure, if you prefer ), and a small tower, the second level, another archway, sporting a clock, and the third and final level, containing the mansion itself. All three levels boasted a solid chrome color. The exterior of the mansion was elegantly decorated and beautiful, with a long set of stonesteps leading up to the place; there were two impressive quadrilateral pillars accompanying the dark brown entrance doors. And last but not least, the mansion's roof: A great, upside-down, glazed-tile and funnel-shaped upper covering.

After telling Naga to stay outside, and after ringing the doorbell twice constantly, we waited two minutes, then the doors were open by a butler, him telling us that Asami was expecting us, leading us inside. When we showed up at our destination, I and Korra saw a pool, seeing Mako and Bolin swimming in it, both wearing green and black swimsuits respectively ( yikes. I never like men's swimsuits. They make one look... kinda gay ) while Asami was sitting by the poolside, sporting a very cute and sexy, stringed, one-piece and black-with-white-touches swimsuit, making me almost sport a hard-on right there ( almost... Almost. Whew! ).

"Avatar Korra and Mr. Saudorn... has arrived", the butler announced to the trio.

"Hey, guys!", Mako greeted us excitedly.

"Glad you guys made it!". Asami smiled, though blushed when she set her eyes on me, probably still remembering me kissing her hand. _Yeah, and my little friend down there almost made it too._

"Welcome to paradise!", Bolin exclaimed, being his normal self, then put his hands behind his head and floated on his back, while Pabu climbed onto his belly.

Korra and I sat down on a bench by the pool. The Avatar spoke, slightly sarcastically, evoking a chuckle out of me:"Looks like you guys settled right in".

Mako swam towards us, followed by Asami. "Pretty much", he replied. Then, he said, somewhat mockingly:"Except someone forgot to ask her father if we could stay here".

"Then, I believe it's "really nearly in", I joked, causing Bolin to laugh out loud with me.

Asami caught up to Mako. "Yeah, but I smoothed it over with him. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission". _That's... quite smart._

Next, Bolin got out of the pool next to me and my girlfriend with Pabu on his shoulder. "This is the greatest place in the world! Watch this, watch this". He spoke in a more formal voice. "Fetch me my towel, good sir".

After that, we all watched Bolin "torturing" the butler with his ridiculous orders, chuckling aloud. And then Korra spoke to Asami, somewhat dismayed:"So, what do you have planned for us today? Let me guess, shopping, makeovers...".

Bolin jumped onto Mako, pushing him into the water, raising his hand while speaking in an excited tone. "Ooh, Ooh! I vote makeovers!". Mako returned the favor as he yelped.

When Mako's brother resurfaced, I uttered:"Makeovers? You?", proceeding to laugh ridiculously.

Before he had a chance for a remark, Asami said, climbing the ladder out of the pool:

"I had something a little more exciting in mind".

"And what's that?", Korra inquired the raven-haired young woman.

"Racing", she answered the Avatar simply.

And the next thing we all knew, I, Mako and Bolin were sitting in the stands, cheering for Asami and Korra sitting inside a race car, racing against a guy in another one. While Bolin's attention was focused on the race, Mako's was on me, him asking:

"So, you and Korra have become an item, huh?".

"Yeah, we have". I nodded amicably.

"I'm glad you guys worked things out so as not to make Bolin think way above his head".

"You're welcome". I smiled broadly. Next, I put my arm on Mako's shoulders. "And talk about Bolin, he and Anyu good?".

"Yeah, they're good. They had a great time together here yesterday". It was Mako's turn to nod, smiling proudly at his brother.

"Oh, Anyu was here yesterday?". I was quite surprised about that. "Bet she must have been ultra-excited once she realized she was invited here".

Upon hearing my comment, Mako exhaled aloud. "You have no idea".

"You're wrong, bro, I have a very good idea. You should have seen her and Tanna when they first met Korra. Her excitement yesterday was nothing compared to that. And talk about excitement, did you and Asami do anything... exciting last night?". I grinned mischievously.

"Uh...", Mako stammered.

That was when Korra and Asami were back from the racing, causing Bolin to fanboy all over it, making the young women chuckle amusingly at him. Even though I was interrupted, I gave Mako a sly grin as we all were headed back inside the mansion, earning a roll of the eyes from him. As soon as we entered through the door, Bolin spoke aloud, running towards the bathroom with his hands covering his groin:

"Emergency, emergency coming through, beep beep!".

"Uh, is there another bathroom I can use?", Korra asked Asami.

"We have a lady's powder room upstairs, first door on your right. You can freshen up in there", Asami responded.

"Thanks". The Avatar nodded, then signaled me to follow her, using a slight movement of her head.

After giving Mako a wink, Asami a polite nod, surprising the latter, I laughed inwardly as I joined Korra. _It's up to Mako to explain it to his sweetheart now._

Once I and Korra was inside the bathroom, our lips crashed against one another instantly, me pushing the young Avatar a bit aggressively against the washbasin, arms wrapping around each other tightly. Next, my girlfriend forcefully turned me around in one spot, hands lifting my shirt up, kissing all over my chest, lightly but naughtily biting one of my nipples, evoking a stifled moan from me, down to my abs. However, Before her hand reached the zipper of my jeans, I stooped down and pulled her up, kissing her again. When our lips parted, I whispered in her ear:

"Enough fooling around, lovely. We're here for the investigation, remember? I'll wait outside".

Not letting Korra object, I kissed her cheek sweetly, walking past her, opening the door and went out of the bathroom. Just as I was about to close the door, the Avatar scolded me:

"After this, you'd better make it up to me".

"Of course, sweetheart". I nodded, gently closing the door.

Five minutes later, I heard my girlfriend coughing inside the room. Thinking something'd happened to her, I swung the door open, asking Korra if she was okay, seeing a faint trace of some powder cloud about her face. Upon seeing me, she replied that she was fine, embarrassed. After that, she pointed at a powder sponge and inquired me what it was. Smiling amusingly, I told her that it was called a 'powder sponge', used for women's makeup and stuff, causing my girlfriend to facepalm. Telling her to think nothing of it, we got out of the room and began to wander around to find Hiroshi's room or something. When we approached a set of double doors, we heard a voice speaking from inside:

"No, no! No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned". We looked around and snuck towards the doors where the voice was coming from. "Uh-um, yes... luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us enough time". Korra looked into the room through the keyhole. I asked her what she saw even though the muffled voice sounded pretty familiar, getting a whispered that there was a person sitting in a chair inside. "Trust me, by the end of the week...". Korra said that the person stood up and I saw her eyes get wide. She told me that it was Hiroshi Sato. _Aha! Gotcha, you son of a bitch._ "... we'll be ready to strike!". Korra told me that he'd just hung up the phone, so we hurried away.

As we went downstairs, we saw the butler spraying perfume all over Bolin, and Mako and Asami were standing behind them. Korra ran past them while I gradually followed her.

"You guys are leaving? But I-I thought...". Asami was surprised.

"Uh, sorry! I forgot, I'm supposed to a-airsit, I mean babybend, I-I mean babysit the-the airbender kids. See you later!", Korra stuttered.

As soon as Korra finished talking, I spoke as well:

"And I forgot that I had a training session with my mentor. Oh how absent-minded of me. See ya soon".

Once we exited the Sato estate, we climbed onto Naga and were headed back to Air Temple Island, intending to tell Tenzin about what we'd found. Unfortunately, he was not home; and at a matter of fact, Pema told us, he was at the police headquarters, still working with Lin. Therefore, we didn't have a choice but to wait either 'til he came home or 'til night and went straight to the police station. Anyway, as luck would have it, Azara was still on the island, so I figured we should tell her right away about our discovery. Upon hearing what we had to say, surprisingly, my female mentor was not even astonished, at all. She said that she'd suspected Hiroshi to be involved with the Equalists ever since I told her about me not being able to read his mind. After that, I asked Azara what we should do. She replied, telling me and Korra that even though the World of Benders was technically participating in the Great War, the Hiroshi discovery was still strictly this world's affair. Thus, it'd be best to let Tenzin and Lin Beifong handle him.

Afterwards, Korra and I, each, returned to one's own training, with me practicing a new skill my female mentor had to offer: How to dodge a strike of one, or more than one, whip. First, I was to face Azara again, with her still using Hejusha; my objective was to dodge her strikes as much as possible. After seventeen minutes of dodging and getting slightly injured, Azara healed me, allowing me to take a five-minute break. Then, the dodging practice began again, similar to the first one. Next, my female mentor opened the lid of a big, otherworldly jar, whose color from its material somewhat unnerved me, pulling out some sort of tendril-looking creatures, explaining to me that they were called 'Mediions' - tendril-leeches from a reality very far away, capable of connecting their subconsciousness to the one they attached to suck his/her blood ( and if that individual was strong enough, he/she could command the leeches to do whatever he/she wished. If not, well, his/her mind would be weakened, resistance disabled, and his/her blood would be sucked dry ), securing them to her left arm, imitating Agrigula's left arm. And then, the third practice, also my second exam, after the first one in Esillith's pocket universe, began. To be honest with you, this exam was even more brutal than the last one; for Azara went all out on me! It was very hard to dodge so many tendrils, plus Hejusha, coming at me, used by a very cunning and calculated opponent. Consequently, I was roughed up pretty bad; nonetheless, the times I dodged and rolled out of the tendril-strikes were more than five, so at least it was a good start.

After healing me for the third time, Azara and I went to watch Korra's training. Shortly later, we three were inside the family's dining room, having lunch. And for the rest of the day, we relaxed and waited for Tenzin. Notwithstanding, he phoned back home to tell Pema that he wouldn't be able to return to the island for dinner because there were still so many people to interview/interrogate; yet before he was able to hang up, Korra told him to tell the Chief of Police to meet me and her outside the police headquarters for an important update on the Equalist problem.

As a result, I and Korra had to depart once again after finishing the meal, arriving outside the police station, seeing Tenzin and Lin already there waiting for us. Once we dismounted Naga, Korra proceeded to tell them about Hiroshi Sato.

"So, you think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists then framed Cabbage Corp?", Tenzin inquired us.

"We don't think. We're sure of it", I replied, earning a nod from my girlfriend.

Lin was skeptical. "That's a bold accusation, but what proof do you have?".

"Well, I don't exactly have proof, but I know what I heard. Sato's up to something", Korra said.

"I do", I announced, "back at Tarrlok's gala, when I was talking to Hiroshi, I couldn't read his mind. Now, Tenzin, please tell me you told Lin about my psychic power".

Lin nodded simply.

She, then, spoke:"He does have the means... and he has a motive".

"That's right". Tenzin stroked his beard. ( who else wants to stroke that beard too? xD )

"A motive? What is it?", the Avatar asked curiously.

"Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A firebender killed Sato's wife during the break in", the councilman stated.

Korra was saddened. "That's terrible".

 _No wonder the guy sides with the Equalists. I would too if I was him._

"It was tragic. It's possible that he's been harboring anti-bending sentiment all this time". Tenzin nodded.

"Maybe we should look at Mr. Sato a little more closely", Lin announced.

Later, Tenzin, Lin, Korra, I and a couple of metalbending cops ( including the two I had beaten up in that alley way back then. Sooo awkward ) arrived at Sato mansion, Lin pressing the doorbell repeatedly. And the butler opened the doors. We all entered, walking upstairs, Korra staying behind a bit, passing Mako and Asami.

"What's going on? Why are they asking Hiroshi more questions?", Mako asked Korra.

"I and Saudorn overheard him on the phone yesterday. Asami, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think your father might be involved with the Equalists", she replied.

Asami was incredulous. "What? I don't believe this". She walked upstairs past me.

"You spied on Hiroshi?". Mako was angry. Korra took a step back.

"Mako", I directed him, putting steel in my voice.

"What's your problem?". He looked at me, then back at Korra. Then, he followed Asami, shouldering me.

Inside Hiroshi Sato's office, Lin and Tenzin stood in front of Hiroshi's desk.

"Mr. Sato, we just have a few follow-up questions for you", the Chief of Police stated.

Asami was angry, standing next to her father. "My father is innocent. Just because we're not benders doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists".

"Equalists? Is that what this is about? I can assure you I have nothing to do with those radicals". Hiroshi chuckled.

"Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about", Mako directed me and Korra.

The Avatar pointed to Hiroshi Sato. "I overheard you on the phone. You said the Cabbage Corp investigation bought you time, and you're getting ready to strike. Explain that!".

Hiroshi laughed aloud. "This is all just a misunderstanding, resulting from the young Avatar's overactive imagination. My number one competitor was knocked out of the game. It's providing me an opportunity to strike the market with a new line of Satomobiles. It's just business. Nothing nefarious".

Lin and Tenzin looked at each other.

"How about me not being able to read your mind psychically back at Tarrlok's gala then?", I inquired the man.

"I... am not sure what you're talking about".

"I have powers, Mr. Sato, though I'm not a bender. And one of my powers is mind reading, and right now I still can't read your mind".

"Maybe... your mind reading is not... that powerful?". Hiroshi feigned innocence. Oh, I could tell.

"In order to put all suspicions to rest, might we have a look into your factories and warehouses?", Tenzin suggested the captain of industry.

Asami sighed in annoyance, hands on her hips, but Hiroshi raised his hands to stop her from speaking further. "If you feel it's necessary, you're welcome to search all of Future Industries".

Much later, everyone, except Hiroshi, was at Future Industries factory, looking for any sign of evidence. However, I knew better, the bastard had gotten everything away from outsiders' eyes. I knew that when he answered my question. Outside of the factory, the metalbending cops were lifted into the police airship while Lin, Tenzin and I watched. Korra approached us on Naga, and jumped down to talk to us.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything". The Avatar sighed.

"It would appear Hiroshi is innocent", Lin commented.

"For now", I spoke.

"Okay, you did your search. Now you can all leave". Asami approached with Mako, annoyed.

Lin glared at Asami. "Hmm". _Damn, Asami's really a bold young woman._

That was when Mako signaled to Korra, and they moved away to have a private conversation while Asami confronted me. After a while, Mako walked away to Asami, one arm wrapping around her shoulder, and left as Korra turned towards me, shaking her head. A short while later, as Lin and Tenzin was standing near Korra and me, talking, I spoke to her, who stroked Naga. Then, I saw a man approach us from behind my girlfriend. Swiftly, I shielded her, addressing him about what he wanted. Fearfully, he put a note into my hand, then walked away as quickly as he had approached us. Puzzled, I opened the note and read it. _Huh?_ After I gave the note to Korra, I came near Tenzin and Lin and spoked:

"I think you should hear this".

Korra, next, read the note:"If you want to find the truth, meet me under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight".

 _Now, A trap or not a trap, that's the question._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	20. Chapter 17

**Note: Hi, everyone, long time no announcing. Now, people, I have an annoucement to make: As you all already knew, this chapter will be about Hiroshi Sato being revealed as a major, high-ranking Equalist member, meaning... an all-out war is very very near. That being said, after this chapter, peace and fun time is over. *Maniacally* And I will live up to my promise about showing you guys fucked-up things from none other than my dear, esteemed friend Agrigula. So... enjoy! I don't own the song Bedlam 1-2-3 by Exodus. Also, I don't own the Legend of Korra. P.S. : I don't like the term "mecha" as in Mecha-Tank, so I changed it it into something else. Hope you guys are okay with it.**

 **Chapter XVII - Another Revelation/Sign of War, The Second Coming**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Tamasu residence, Republic City's downtown, earlier in the evening.

Narrator's p.o.v.

Furroh thrust into Simel's vagina with enthusiasm. He had never felt so deeply in love with her like now. Probably because of the hellish visions the man named Saudorn - the siblings' supposed enemy - showed them, and the crowd, inside the arena, the night before. At that time, he'd felt so afraid that he might faint on the spot, yet he had to steel his nerve in order to save his siste- No, to save the love of his life, from succumbing to fear. However, after arriving back home after presenting themselves back at the Equalist Headquarters for some post-mission procedures, Simel broke down and freaked out intensely, prompting Furroh to try everything to calm her down, including kissing her.

She'd tried to fight back at first, confusing him with either Sojana, or her past, but gave in when he deepened the kiss, her whole body melting against his, once again, and the next thing he knew... he was in bed with her now, making love with her, after taking two meal breaks in-between their love-making sessions. The more he made love with her, the calmer he became, even though those visions still plagued his mind; and the same was for Simel. In all her life, not even her most terrible nightmare could compare to the extreme and ruthless killings and feedings of those... monstrosities. Furthermore, what Saudorn'd told her and her brother was even more disturbingly frightening than ever:

"This will happen to this world, your world, my Equalist friends...".

"This is no longer a war, but a crusade for blood and living meals. A plague of hatred and madness. You want to avenge your sister because of something I'm not sure whether I did or not, but I think you NEED to know: THIS, is gonna happen, whether you're on Amon's side or Republic City's".

It was such a terrifying thought: The destruction of not only Republic City, where they both were born and grew up in, but also the world as they knew it! Back when Simel'd seen Agrigula for the first time, together with her brother-lover, she thought that, somehow, Amon'd been able to summon a monstrosity from the Spirit World to help him in his quest for Equality; nevertheless, that was not the case. They soon had that indescribable feeling, that there was something otherworldly from Agrigula and his three subordinates, like, they were neither from this nor the Spirit World. Once the mission was over, she knew what that meant, finally. Only at the cost of her own sanity.

Luckily for her, her brother'd saved her from such predicament, by making them one one more time. His warm and, later, sweaty flesh was a comfort for her; his member reminded her that there was something else she loved so much, beside Furroh, that is. Back when she was eight, and her brother was twelve, Simel always admire her big brother, who usually came to her help whenever there was bullies trying to harass her. Then, her admiration turned to curious attraction and sexual fantasies after that incident she'd suffered at the hands, and cocks, of a bunch of Terra Triad hoodlums when she was eleven. Next, dreams and puberty and spying on her brother saw to it that Simel's thoughts always contained the images of Furroh, clothed and naked alike, 'assisting' her in developing both love for and lust after her hero, who'd tortured those horrible Terra Triad scums to the point of begging for a quick death.

One year later, couldn't stand it anymore, Simel confessed her love to her brother, shocking and confusing him to the greatest extent. Too disoriented, he told her he needed time to think, disappointing her greatly. Nonetheless, because she truly loved her brother, she gave him space to think things through. Sadly, because of the amount of working at Republic City dock ( Furroh decided to give up studying and worked instead, to support their mother's little income, working as a waitress in some middle-class restaurant, a place before the time of Narook's ), her brother forgot about her confession and got on with his life, until his dealing with the Terra Triad, again. Once the whole thing passed, Furroh consequently realized just how precious Simel was to him, thus, accepting her love for him. And now, not even Saudorn's dismally excellent work of art could diminish the burning desire inside Simel's lover, who had been thrusting in and out of her eagerly, kissing her deeply and passionately. After that, no longer be able to keep his orgasm in check, the older sibling grunted aloud and shot his cum deep inside his sister-lover, with her climaxing together with him for, in her own thought, the last time of the day, since she felt she was completely exhausted from being too worked-up by orgasms.

Shortly after the climax, Furroh crashed down upon his sister, panting heavily, sweating profusely, the fingers of his left hand intertwined with her right hand's. He, then, intended to roll off her to avoid suffocating her with his own weight, immediately feeling her limbs wrap tightly around his back and ass, her whispering:

"No, please... I still want to feel you inside me. And... I love it when you lie on top of me like this".

"Simel, I love it... when you worship my body... like treasure. But, sometimes... you gotta keep your addiction in check, ya know?". He chuckled.

"Nah, I can't". The younger sibling smiled mischievously, her right hand stroking her brother's back, then stomach, lazily. "I just want to be near you forever".

That evoked another chuckle from Furroh, kissing his sister sweetly, his tongue dancing with hers, causing her to sigh in merriment. Once they broke the kiss, the older sibling asked his sister-lover whether she'd taken a birth control pill or not, to which she responded that she had. Next, Simel asked her brother what he wanted for dinner, to which he naughtily replied:"Your pussy, wettened, not undisturbed", prompting her to hit him in the shoulder with a "Oh, you naughty boy!", embarrassed. After that, she told her brother they should shower right away if they wanted early dinner so as to have another session until midnight. As they began to get up from the bed, the phone on the nightstand near Simel rang; and as soon as she picked up the receiver, saying "Hello" into the mouthpiece, she heard Hiroshi Sato's voice.

"Simel? Good. Listen to me, I have been discovered by the Avatar and her boyfriend, no matter how careful I am. You and Furroh need to come to the underground factory straight away. There, I'll tell you both what to do".

"W-wait a minute, Uncle, how did the Avata-".

"It doesn't matter how the Avatar and her boyfriend did it. The fact of the matter is: They did it. I have called Liao Zu to come to my help. Now I need you also. Hurry!".

With that, Hiroshi hung up, and there was nothing else but phone dial sound in Simel's ear. Furroh asked his sister what their Uncle had just said to her, her responding that he needed their help to either fight back or capture the Avatar and Saudorn as they had apparently found out that the captain of industry was highly involved with the Equalists. Groaning aloud, Simel's brother-lover commented:

"So much for shower, dinner and late night sex".

Sighing heavily, Furroh's sister-lover approached him and gave him a peck on the lips, promising him that she'd make it up to him. Shortly later, the brother and sister were riding their motorcycles towards the Sato estate, having brought along their Equalist, anti-psychic suits, planned by Sojana and developed by none other than Hiroshi Sato himself. Upon seeing Sojana's name and her figure in his mind, the 18-year-old teenage boy's body, against his will, rapidly sported a hard-on even though he hated Sojana very much. However, he was grateful that the Imperious Bitch had thought about making the anti-psychic suits for him and his sister, despite the fact that she credibly was just using them as mere pawns. That, and the fact that she'd introduced him to anal sex, too. Determined to focus on the present, Furroh shook his head to clear his mind of that demented woman, keeping his bike close to his sister's, them both speeding off into the distance.

...

Simel's p.o.v.

Once we made it to our uncle's personal workshop, using a secret passage known only by me, my brother and our uncle, which was connected to the Republic City tunnels ( the secret passage's original usage was for escape only, when things went sideways ), we opened the secret metal sliding trapdoor on the workshop's floor, going down the stairs, taking the elevator down to the underground factory. Since Hiroshi Sato had discovered that we were his niece and nephew about two years before, helping us punish the Terra Triad for trying to have us killed because my brother performed some torturous, vigilante justice on the scums that had... raped me, he had the secret passage built so as to let us contact him discreetly without letting Asami know about our presences, as he had purposedly neglected to tell Asami about her uncle and his family. Nevertheless, usually, we contacted him just to tell him about our family as he had not kept in touch with his brother's - our father, Hashi Sato/Tamasu - family for a long time ( mainly because he was highly involved with the Red Monsoon Triad ).

When we arrived at the factory, we saw Uncle, Liao Zu, a.k.a. the Lieutenant, ordering the grunts about, preparing the Machine-Tanks for the capture of the Avatar and her boyfriend. Also, next to Amon's left and right-hand man, stood that... Manoward man, one of Agrigula's three subordinates. I didn't know whether I should feel relieved or worried because of Sojana's absence, her being replaced by that man instead. Truth be told, I hated that crazed bitch for what she'd been doing to me, yet Manoward was one super creepy individual. Oftentimes, I saw him check the female Equalists out, including me, or maybe... especially me. And that creeped me out to no end. As if reading my thought, my brother whispered:

"What in Spirits' name is he doing here?".

"I have no idea, but I think he's as bad as Sojana".

"I won't let him touch you, sis. I promise". Furroh put his hand on my shoulder, making me want to hug and kiss him so much.

"I know you won't". I turned my head to look at him, smiling gratefully, all the while still walking towards our uncle and Liao Zu.

As soon as we were near them, we announced our presences to our uncle and Liao Zu, causing both of them to turn around and greet us with amity. Manoward turned around too, and gave me and my brother a slow nod, smiling humorlessly. After all the greeting, Uncle ushered us aside for a private conversation.

"Now, here is what I need you to do: Because the Avatar and Saudorn will return with Lin Beifong, Councilman Tenzin and the metalbending cops, I'm afraid keeping Asami from discovering my activities with the Equalists is impossible. Therefore, you need to reveal who you are to her and convince her to stay away from this place", Uncle instructed us, making us feel very surprised. _Finally be able to tell Asami who we are? This is... This is..._ "When all is said and done, I'll explain everything to her. Are you okay with this?".

"Uncle... I-I don't know what to say. This-this is... far more than what we expected", I stammered.

While I was bewildered, my brother was skeptical. "Wait a minute, Uncle. You want us to tell Asami who we are and expect us to make her stay away from the factory? What if she doesn't believe us? And how do we do that when she's among those... bending filth?".

"You have to keep her away from the fight, no matter what. I don't want her to be hurt". Uncle was adamant. "If she doesn't believe you, just restrain her hands and feet with two bolas. And as for the bending filth, I know most of them, including the Avatar, will come down here and see for themselves if what my 'whistleblower' said is true. Maybe the Chief of Police will not let Asami take the elevator down here because she's my daughter. Thus, maybe you'll have a chance to waylay her at my workshop".

"What about Saudorn? Do you think he'll be with the Avatar?", I inquired.

"He's her boyfriend, so I don't see why not. But just in case he's not, I'll let Manoward accompany you". Before I could protest, Uncle stopped me gently. "Now, Simel, I know you, and you as well, Furroh, don't like neither Manoward nor Sojana". _Oh, if only you knew about what that Sojana woman has been doing to me- Wait a minute, perhaps I should- No, she said that if I or Furroh tell Uncle about it, she'll kill the other right in front of me or him. Spirits, why is she so despicable?_ "We all don't. Nonetheless, Amon has agreed to ally with Agrigula, so we don't have a choice. So, are you okay with this?".

I looked at my brother as he looked back at me, then, upon seeing each other's determination, we both turned to our uncle and nodded.

"Good. Thank you for being willing to help me. I will never forget this". Uncle put his hands on our shoulder, then hugged us. "I'm sorry I was not there for you when my sister was gone, but I promise I will look after you, together with Asami. Now go help everyone prepare the Machine-Tanks, I'll tell you when you need to go".

After we finished our emotional hug, I and my brother went to help the grunts, while Uncle continued his supervising role alongside Liao Zu and Manoward. _We will not fail you, Uncle. For you, for Asami, and for Republic City._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After the meeting with that warehouse worker, I still couldn't believe my ears: He said Hiroshi Sato had a secret factory right underneath his home! No wonder I, my boyfriend, Lin, Tenzin and the cops hadn't been able to find anything at the _ground-level_ factories and warehouses! What was it Saudorn had said after hearing the truth? "Clever, he's been hiding in plain sight all along". After getting back on the airship, we all were headed back to the Sato estate and confronted Hiroshi again.

While Tenzin and Lin were talking to each other, I and Saudorn sat on the floor, me leaning against him, my head on his shoulder, with his right arm wrapping around my shoulder. We didn't say anything, just being silent, enjoying each other's company. Even though Saudorn didn't do much all night, he began to sweat a little, probably because of the warm weather, and that was when I could smell the scent from his body. And it made me want him so badly. _If only all this Equalist business was nothing but some kind of entertainment, I could take a week- No, a month off with him somewhere alone. I know he's new to this world, so maybe I could show him my home tribe and every activity there. Next, we could screw around with each other in private. Then, I could spend some time with him visiting the Fire Nation. Maybe we could meet Zuko togethe-_

"We've arrived at the Sato estate. Time for you lovebird to untangle and for us to go". I was startled by Lin's voice.

 _Grrr... Why does she always have the need to interrupt my good mood?_

"Let's go, sweetheart", Saudorn spoke after kissing my temple, causing me to blush deep red.

After storming past the entrance doors, we saw the former Fire Ferret brothers and Asami sit down in the living room; Bolin had been eating from the bowl of fruit, and was now scared fruitless, while Mako took out an LP from the cover and showed it to Asami.

Asami was angry upon seeing us again. "What are you doing here?".

"We have a reason to believe that there's a factory hidden below the mansion", Lin stated.

Asami narrowed her eyes. "I think I would've noticed if there were a factory underneath my house. The lies you people come up with just to persecute my father".

"Where is your father?", Tenzin inquired her.

"In his workshop, behind the house", the young woman replied boldly.

Once we approached Hiroshi's workshop, guided by his daughter, the metalbending cops burst in... only to find no one! _Where is he? Did he run away? Impossible! Mako and Bolin would know if he did. Or maybe... Oh, no. Is Asami involved with the Equalists too? Did she help him escape?_

"Dad? Hello?", Asami spoke aloud.

A police officer approached Lin. "Chief, the estate's been secured. No one has left the workshop since we arrived".

"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leav-". Before Lin could finish her sentence, she was cut off by my boyfriend.

"No, he didn't leave. I'm sure he's at the factory right now, having used the elevator in a tunnel right beneath this very workshop to go there".

"How did you-". Lin was astonished.

"Yeah, how did you know?". I inquired my boyfriend.

He chuckled. "Honey, I have the ability to manipulate microorganisms, you already knew that; but that's not the root of my power, no. It's connecting with every living being, including the microorganisms, via my consciousness. And them very very very small creatures are everywhere! On the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the equipments. Even in the air! Meaning...". He turned to Lin. "I can see, or scan through, almost everything like your mother did. It's just like looking at layouts on a blueprint, only three-dimensionally".

Upon hearing that, Lin huffed indignantly, yet didn't say anything. I think she was internally impressed!

However, Asami was not. She gasped in disbelief. "What? There's no tunnel".

Saudorn simply pointed at the floor, dead center. Lin looked there and metalbent to remove the metal layer, exposing the stairs and an elevator going down. She and the cops immediately walked towards it. Next to Asami, Bolin whispered in her ear, and quickly got a gentle slap on the back of the head from Saudorn, who told him this was not time for being goofy, earning a dagger-glare from Mako.

"I don't understand. There must be an explanation". Asami was confused.

"Maybe you don't know everything about your father", I directed her. Then, I added sympathetically:"I'm sorry".

Lin directed her officers. "Officers". She pointed at the stairs. "Into the tunnel. Be cautious". As the cops walked towards the stairs, Saudorn, Mako, Bolin and Asami started walking towards it until we were stopped by Lin. "Uh-uh, you four stay up here. Saudorn, you're to protect the former Fire Ferrets and the Witness". Then, she turned to another one of her officers. "Officer Song, keep an eye on them; in case Mr. Zalear is persuaded otherwise and decides to go down there".

"You gotta be kidding me, Lin- I mean, Chief. I can be of help with you, your officers, Tenzin and Korra! Especially Korra!", he objected.

"I know you want to help", Tenzin spoke gently, "but given the possibility of an ambush by the Equalists up here, we cannot afford that to happen. If Hiroshi Sato is 100% involved with the Equalists, he'll never want his daughter to either stay with us or be in police custody. Therefore, Lin and I trust that you can prevent them from taking Asami away".

"But-".

"It'll be alright, Saudorn". I approached him. "I know you care about my safety too, yet I can take care of myself. Just do what Lin and Tenzin require of you. Please?".

Sighing, my boyfriend relented. "Al-right, I'll stay here".

"You're the best!". Quickly giving Saudorn a hug, I kissed him passionately, prompting him to kiss me deeply back.

After that, we broke the kiss, me returning to Lin's group and beginning to descend down the stairs, but not without looking back at my boyfriend, smiling warmly, then at the brothers, and then Asami, my smile somewhat faltering.

...

Furroh's p.o.v.

As I, Simel and Manoward saw what'd transpired in the workshop via a hidden camera in the corner of the room, we all, inside our uncle's supervising office, became anxious to act. Next to us, Uncle was looking intensely at the screen, both irritated by the benders' presences around Asami and worried about his daughter herself. Shortly after, he raised his hand, fingers spread, signaling a countdown from 5, then 4... 3... 2... 1... And his hand formed a fist. Next, I, my sister and Manoward were headed towards and through a secret passage leading to just outside the workshop. Once we were there, Manoward signaled for us to approach cautiously and be patient. When we were near the workshop's entrance, we waited, listening to them all talking inside.

Seven minutes later, we heard both Saudorn and someone else utter aloud a "What was that?". Now we heard him argue with the cop assigned to keep an eye on the other four. Looking straight at me, Manoward nodded, indicating that it was our cue to act; fleetly, we stormed into the room, Manoward using the power he called "Force-choke" to take the cop and Saudorn out, me and Simel throwing four bolas at the former Fire Ferret brothers, immobilizing them; all of this was to leave Asami the only one standing. Nonetheless, somehow Saudorn knew that we were here, immediately creating a whip out of thin air and using it to grasp Manoward by the throat, pulling him, face first, down onto the floor, hard. _Ouch._ Right after that, he turned to us.

"So... you have made your choice, haven't you?", he spoke slowly and calmly.

"We don't have a choice", I replied, trying to keep cool.

"Really?". Saudorn made a face of disgust. "It seems to me like almost everyone I talk to uses that shitty excuse".

"This time, we really don't", Simel said. "Because she needs to know the truth". She pointed at Asami.

"What truth? What are you talking about?". Our cousin appeared confused. "Wait... You don't mean... my father...".

I sighed, turning to look at my sister as she did the same; then, we took our masks off, looking straight at Asami.

"It's true, Asami, your father is with us". Simel nodded.

"But it's more than that, Asami", I added.

"Ho- How did you-". Our cousin was even more confused now.

"Because", I and Simel spoke in unison, "we are your cousins... Meaning, Hiroshi Sato is our uncle".

And that astonished the spirit out of Saudorn, Asami and the tied-up brothers, especially Asami.

"That... That's impossible! I would've known I have relatives because my father-".

"Yes, Asami, you would have known if Uncle chose to tell you sooner. However, he didn't, and it's for a good reason: We are children of Hashi Tamasu - the Water Boogeyman or the Water Artificer".

A loud gasp escape Asami's mouth, prompting our cousin to cover it, using both of her hands. Next to her, one of the brothers, the one who wore green and black clothes, gasped as well, then he quickly said:

"Uh... who is he, exactly?".

"You mean you don't know? I thought I once told you about him", his brother inquired, incredulous.

"No, Mako, I don't remember anything about him. Probably because it was a long time ago".

The Mako bender sighed. "You're right, I once told you about Hashi when we were little kids. Anyway, twenty years ago, Hashi was one of the high-profile criminals of Republic City underworld. He was a member of the Red Monsoon Triad, and a special one at that. Why? Because he was the only _non-bending_ member among those waterbending scumbags. But that's not the main reason why he's special, no; the main reason is: He was a very excellent engineer, and some say he was even better than Hiroshi Sato himself. He was the one who invented "artificial waterbending" - waterbending using automated equipments - helping the Red Monsoon get the upper hand in the turf war against the other Triad gangs! That was as important as the invention of explosives and electricity! But instead of being used for good intentions, those equipments helped found a reign of terror, giving waterbending another definition of fear aside bloodbending. This was a pretty dificult time for Republic City to manage as Avatar Aang was at the final period of his life. Yet luckily for everyone, Hashi met the love of his life - a non-bending woman named Huang Fang - and decided to settle down, after getting to know her better, leaving the criminal life behind. Notwithstanding, the Red Monsoon didn't appreciate it; so they resolved to pay Hashi's newfound family a visit and threatened to kill his wife if he didn't fall in line". _Wrong, they raped our mother while forcing our father to watch in helplessness._ "Hashi had no choice but to comply. Yet, he had a plan to bring down, or at least weaken, the Red Monsoon Triad. Well, I don't remember what happened next exactly, but I remember that after executing the plan, Hashi was fatally wounded, and succumbed to it shortly later". _That is... correct._ "As a result, the Red Monsoon were no longer the dominant crime organization out of the 'Big Four' anymore. That's it".

"So, that's why you join the Equalists", Saudorn commented, "you want to avenge your father, because it was all the benders' fault, am I right?".

"Yes, it is", I replied simply, "yet we're not here to fight. We're here for Asami". Next, I directed our cousin:"Asami, please don't go down there. Now that you know the biggest secret about your father, our uncle, he needs you more than ever. He needs you to be unharmed".

Without hesitation, Asami responded:"He told you to not let me go there, didn't he?".

We stayed silent at that.

"Fine. Then, I'll still want to be there", our cousin announced.

"Wait, Asami-", Simel uttered.

"My decision is final. I don't care what he told you to do when I don't cooperate, but if you think you can stop me, you think wrong". Asami was adamant.

Upon seeing our cousin's determination ( or stubbornnness ), I glanced at my sister, then, pulled out a bola, aware that Saudorn had moved to stand in front of Asami, intending to use his body to shield her. _Fine, a long fight is enough to delay them all._ Even though both sides' intentions were clear, no one moved an inch, which also helped our purpose. After that, Asami silently moved to stand alongside Saudorn, her putting a hand on his left, muscular arm ( _although he's nothing compared to Agrigula, but his build is really impressive_ ) to gently restrain him. And I felt Simel do that too, her whispering to me:

"Furroh, just let her meet Uncle. You know she deserves the truth from him, not some half-assed explanation".

"What? You're crazy? Uncle told us not to let her get involved in the fight. And what that firebender just said was not "some half-assed explanation", it's a fact! Well, I admit it: He pretty much said it right", I whispered back.

"It is to her, Furroh. She just met us. Do you really think she'll believe us entirely? If I was her, I'd do the same".

Reminded of how we'd found out Hiroshi Sato was our uncle, with Simel confronting him up in the mansion when Asami was away, I sighed heavily. "Alright, you win this argument". Next, I put away the bola and directed Asami:

"My apologies for intending to use force on you, Cousin. We'll let you go see him. However, you have to do it... alone".

"No, not alone; Saudorn and Mako and Bolin will accompany me. You'll have the freedom to do whatever you want with them once I decided whether I will join my father or not".

"Asami...", Saudorn began to speak.

"I need to hear it from my father directly. Can I trust you and Mako and Bolin to accompany me?".

He sighed. "Of course, Asami".

 _Okay, she's not stubborn, then; more like strong-willed, and faithful. And that, surely runs in the family._

"Everything's settled, then", Simel spoke, approaching the brothers to untie them.

"And what about him?". Saudorn motioned towards Manoward.

"Let him sleep like that. It suits him". I sneered.

"Now that's something I absolutely agree with you". He grinned back.

When all was said and done, I and Simel wore the masks again, me leading everyone outside, to the secret passage back into the factory; but this time, instead of directing them to our uncle's supervising office, I was gonna head them straight to the floor below.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

 _I'm glad you finally decided to switch side, Simel._

 _Like Furroh said, there is no other choice to be made. I hate benders, but I'll be damned to let Republic City, and then the world, burn, all because we still side with Amon and Agrigula._

 _What about your brother? What if he doesn't want to follow your example?_

 _He has to. Because he loves me, and I love him, even though he longs to have a family again, namely our uncle and Asami, after the death of our parents._

 _I see. You two have a very strong bond in the form of love, for each other._

 _So... you're not gonna judge us?_

 _Why should I? Love, like hate, has no boundaries. If people with different skin colors, different cultures and different perspectives are allowed to love, why not people who just... fall in love? I know the case of you and your brother is... a bit different because of the traumatic experience you endured in the past. However, it only strengthens your relationship with your brother, and I have nothing against that. Truth be told, you guys are the symbol of unity, harmony, and love this world needs; well, not as bright and as pure as Avatar Aang and Katara, but still a symbol, nonetheless._

 _Th-thanks. This means a lot to me._

 _You're welcome. Now, you still remember what I told you?_

 _I do. "When the time comes, you'll know when to act"._

 _Good. That is when you guys will be able to unite with Asami again. In the meantime, I promise you I'll keep an eye on her as Mako takes care of her._

 _I'm glad that she found Mako. I think he loves her just as fiercely as you love the Avatar._

 _Yeah, he'll make an excellent cousin-in-law to you guys._

 _But what about our uncle? What will happen to him?_

 _During the war, he'll be fine. We'll make sure that none of my enemies is able to harm him. But post-war? He has to stand trial for what he did and does and will be doing. Nevertheless, I guarantee you I will not let you and your brother stand trial just because you're on the Equalists' side, for now. Also, it's time to be back to reality, we'll talk when we can._

Once I finished my thought-sentence, I disconnected the link between my consciousness and Simel's. To be honest, I was really grateful that she'd decided to deactivate the suit in order to let me speak to her psychically. It'd been quite one hell of a night, from having a flashback about Hiroshi's secret factory as that informant guy told me, Korra, Tenzin and Lin Beifong about the truth about Hiroshi Sato, to actually finding the tunnel leading to it, to listening to Mako telling a tale from the past, one that I didn't even remember whether it was in season one from the Legend of Korra or not! And I didn't even know that the Sato family actually had relatives! It was so crazy! Maybe it had something to do with my creations becoming alive. Maybe... Anyway, while Mako was talking, I saw Simel discreetly signal me to talk to her psychically, listening to her introducing herself, admitting that I was right about what I'd said back at the arena and proposing the need to switch side. Once we all were inside another secret passage leading to the factory, I and Simel continued our talk and straightened out some points.

When we arrived at the factory, we saw that the metalbending cops were being dragged into the trucks. Next, we saw Korra, Tenzin and Lin, all lying on the ground, defeated by... Machine-Tanks! _No._ At that point, I remembered about these robot-things, and the biplanes too. _Hiroshi's new toys._ After that, Furroh motioned for us to move forwards. Upon hearing us approach, Hiroshi and the Lieutenant turned around.

"I'm sorry, Uncle, but she needs to speak to you", the Equalist boy said.

Before Asami was able to speak, Mako spoke first, angrily accusing:

"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar. It was all just a big cover".

"Yes, and the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a firebending street rat like you", the captain of industry replied coolly. Then, he turned to Asami, the young woman being only able to utter a "Why?". "Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this as long as I could". At that time, Korra regained consciousness, trying to stand up. "But now you know the truth, please, forgive me. These people...". He pointed at the former Fire Ferrets. "These benders. They took away your mother, the love of my life. They've ruined the world. But with Amon, we can fix it and build a perfect world together, once we get rid of Agrigula and his legion". _You gotta be joking, Hiroshi. "Get rid of Agrigula and his legion"? With your precious Machine-Tanks and biplanes? Not even Aang at his prime and in the Avatar State can do that! Given a one or three-year period._ "We can help people like us. People like Furroh and Simel, everywhere!". Shortly after, he took off one of his gloves and offered it to Asami. "Join me, Asami".

Asami looked at her father with uncertainty, but she hesitatingly stepped towards him. She looked at the glove with fear, trembling as she reached for it. The brothers looked at her in sadness as she grabbed the glove off her father, slipping her hand into it. I turned to Simel, worried. And she was worried as well.

"No...", Mako uttered in disbelief.

"I love you, Dad", Asami spoke.

Immediately, she electroshocked her father until he lost consciousness! The Lieutenant attacked her, but she used self-defense methods to easily defeat him with his own electrified kali stick. As Asami was doing this to the Lieutenant, I shouted "Now!" to Simel, who quickly electroshocked her brother while I used my powers to both hurl some of the Machine-Tanks against the walls, damaging them, and raise three small walls, pushing them against some of the Equalist fighters, knocking them out cold. All the while, Korra waterbent at the rest of the Equalists, taking them out. That was when Lin regained consciousness and slowly stood up. Following that, Mako and Bolin came to pick Tenzin up and help Lin steady herself. After quickly erasing the memory of Simel's betrayal from the Equalists' minds, I and Korra intended to get to the metalbending cops, but was stopped by a loud and furious voice from the secret passage's opening. _Hank._

"Warslaves, GET THEM!", he roared.

And then, out of the shadow of the unlit parts of the factory, Warslaves - a bunch of bloody, horrendously deformed, corrupt and self-mutilated cultists, with amputated arms modified with sharp, stabbing objects and explosive cultists, who used chemical and bacteriological weapons on themselves to further prove their agonizing submission to the Firstborn, thus getting their bodies covered with infected pustules, buboes and weeping sores, emitting extremely volatile and poisonous gasses, willing to commit exploding suicide when nearly overcome by ripping their entrails, freeing the unstable compound inside their fetid and rotten bodies and causing a mortal explosion at short range, from Clive Barker's Jericho universe - were headed out towards us. Upon seeing the moving, hellish scene, Korra and Asami screamed aloud in horror, while Simel fainted right on the floor, only silenced when I reached them both and pulled them away, racing towards the metal-walled entrance, which I had sensed earlier that it was pretty easy to break, together with the rest of the group.

"You are NOT GETTING AWAY!". From behind, Hank sprinted after us, determined to catch us.

"Korra, make an earth wall, covered with thick ice, behind us, hurry!", I ordered the Avatar.

Rapidly, my girlfriend complied and did what I told her to do. Meanwhile, as I stood before the metal wall, I concentrated on my powers, willing the microorganisms to be more formidable than the platinum particles themselves, then... broke the wall to pieces with a mighty cry! After that, I half-tiredly signaled for everyone to follow me, Lin staring at me with total astonishment.

Chuckling pretty exhaustedly, I said:"I'm not a metalbender, or any kind of bender, remember?".

The Chief of Police just grunted her acknowledgement and nodded simply. As we approached the great elevating platform, we heard a half-human, half-bestial roar of anger behind the iced-earth ( pun intended :D ) wall, ordering one of the explosive cultists to obliterate the obstacle.

"Everybody, get on board! Let's do what one sheep tell the other: Let's get the flock outta here!", I shouted.

Once the whole group was standing on the platform, Asami activated the elevator, getting the speed to maximum, and then we were up and away! That was when Korra's wall was broken by the explosion. Next, a small legion of Warslaves hurriedly ran after us; notwithstanding, their speed couldn't match the elevator's!

"Now can you dig that, suckaaaa!". I howled down towards the monstrosities, laughing with glee.

And the next thing we all knew, we were back on the airship, leaving the estate for good. _Good riddance! That place sucks anyway._ After everyone finished talking about what had happened tonight and what to do next, Korra stood next to me, looking out the window at the city below. Suddenly, she pulled me against her for a quick kiss, whispering a "I love you", then rested her head on my chest, me hugging her warmly, replying with a "I love you, too". While all this happened, I continued to look out the window, this time not focusing on reality anymore, the song Bedlam 1-2-3 by Exodus raging in my mind, concluding the end of the second sign of war.

 _Turn on the havoc!_

 _Let confusion reign!_

 _Random acts of violence_

 _shall not be done in vain!_

 _A din of destruction!_

 _An overture of rage!_

 _Countdown to bedlam!_

 _Let the mayhem_

 _accelerate!_

 _Soon we all_

 _will celebrate!_

 _Feel the primal urge!_

 _Adrenaline surge!_

 _Join the altercation_

 _to the third degree!_

 _At full capacity!_

 _With no discrimination!_

 _Total oblivion!_

 _No phenomenon!_

 _Just par for the course!_

 _To the starting line!_

 _Your time to shine!_

 _On my mark, we-_

 _Quarrel!_

 _We subjugate!_

 _We bring calamity!_

 _Everybody, cooperate!_

 _Let's start the bedlam._

 _1-2-3!_

 _Anticipating the_

 _coming of the brawl!_

 _Collide like cannon fire!_

 _But only on my call!_

 _I provoke the melee!_

 _And I fan the flame!_

 _Coerce the herd into a_

 _stampede!_

 _They salivate!_

 _Turmoil!_

 _We aggravate!_

 _Feel the primal urge!_

 _Adrenaline surge!_

 _Join the altercation_

 _to the third degree!_

 _At full capacity!_

 _With no discrimination!_

 _Total oblivion!_

 _No phenomenon!_

 _Just par for the course!_

 _To the starting line!_

 _Your time to shine!_

 _On my mark, we-_

 _Quarrel!_

 _We subjugate!_

 _We bring calamity!_

 _Everybody, cooperate!_

 _Let's start the bedlam._

 _1-2-3_

 _On my command!_

 _Everybody run amuck!_

 _Slam into everyone!_

 _Never stop to give a fuck!_

 _This is the pinnacle_

 _Of tumult!_

 _It's what you've waited for, so_

 _let the vortex_

 _stimulate!_

 _On this day,_

 _we commemorate!_

 _Feel the primal urge!_

 _Adrenaline surge!_

 _Join the altercation_

 _to the third degree!_

 _At full capacity!_

 _With no discrimination!_

 _Total oblivion!_

 _No phenomenon!_

 _Just par for the course!_

 _To the starting line!_

 _Your time to shine!_

 _On my mark, we-_

 _Quarrel!_

 _We subjugate!_

 _We bring calamity!_

 _Everybody, cooperate!_

 _Let's start the bedlam._

 _1-2-3!_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	21. Chapter 18

**Note: Hi, everyone, sorry for the break. But I'm back now. As I said that after the last chapter, "peace and fun time is over", and that's... partially true. Meaning, there's still peace ( but not for long ;) ); however, fun time is definitely over. You'll see. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XVIII - Thirst For Control**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

On the ferry heading towards Air Temple Island, early in the morning.

Asami's p.o.v.

As I and my boyfriend, Mako, stood behind his brother, who was leaning excitedly slightly over the railing with Pabu perched on his shoulder, looking towards Air Temple Island, us watching it as well, I wrapped my arms around him, seeking the comfort of his body's warmth; not because of the early morning cold, but because of what had transpired the night before. My father, Hiroshi Sato, was... was truly involved with the Equalists. My father, who I loved so much. My father, who taught- No, _used to_ teach me Pai Sho when I was but a little girl! _Dad, how could you do this to me?_

And then there were those... nightmarish shapes stepping out from the tenebrous, far corners of the factory, where there must have been dark, secret hallways or chambers to house them. Spirits, I had never seen such hideous horrors, such twisted abominations, such... perserve entities in my life! Nevertheless, I was grateful, eternally grateful, that Saudorn had pulled me and Korra out of that damnably infernal place. Yet I couldn't help but shudder, thinking about those things... roaming around beneath the mansion, the home where I'd grown up in. _Oh, Spirits, I feel like I'm gonna throw up. Ugh. N-no, Asami. Be strong! Don't make yourself look like a helpless little girl! Push-push those images away. Bury them! Bury them in the deepest recesses of your mind!_

Also, even though Furroh and Simel were Equalists themselves, I was glad that I had relatives at that moment. I didn't know why I was okay with the fact that they'd joined that crazy organization, and not with my father doing it; maybe it was because of what they'd been through, being children of one of the most notorious criminals in the history of Republic City - Hashi Tamasu... or Sato... himself.

"Asami, are you okay?". A voice next to me brought me back to reality.

"Uhm. Yeah. I'm okay". I smiled weakly.

"You don't have to lie. I understand", my boyfriend replied, hugging me a bit tighter, "those... monsters were the stuff of nightmares. I and Bolin had to try very hard to forget those diabolical images. Anyway, I don't know about the feeling of discovering that you actually have relatives, but that must be pretty astonishing".

"You're right, I have never known all my life that I, in fact, have two cousins. I could blame my father for hiding this piece of truth from me, yet I understand perfectly why he did what he had to do. Hashi was not exactly an admired figure in this city, let alone in the world of industry. Thanks... for being here for me". I hugged him back.

"Anything for you, sweetheart. Anything for you".

Shortly later, as the ferry pulled up at the port, I felt a bit better, then way better, upon seeing Saudorn, a woman in a light, brown cloak, Korra and three airbending kids, I assumed, standing on the dock, waving at us. A bit away from them, there was a polar bear-dog as well. _Wow, beautiful doggie._

"You're finally here!", the youngest girl with two buns of hair covered in yellow hair wraps exclaimed excitedly. Ahead of us, on the ship's bow, an Air Acolyte threw the anchor in the water while two others let down the ramp to allow me, my boyfriend and his brother to get off the boat. "Welcooome to Air Temple Island. Your new home", the girl continued her little speech.

 _My... new home._

"Yes, welcome to", the youngest of the trio, a boy, said, pointing at himself, "my domain".

Bolin was carrying his duffel bag over his right shoulder, and Mako and I descended the ramp behind him. "Well, aren't you sweet", Bolin commented, slightly leaning forwards, "little monk child?". _Monk child?_

That was when Pabu jumped down from Bolin's shoulder and ran in between the boy's legs before running to the right. He bent over and looked through his legs at the fire ferret. He stood erect again and asked what kind of creature Pabu was. While the eldest of the airbending kids explained to him, Saudorn walked towards us, spreading his arms wide. "Not that I miss you or anything, but welcome".

He and Bolin hugged amicably, making me feel quite astonished at the comparison of height between the black-and-neck-length-haired man and Bolin. The goofy guy was about 5'7'', yet Saudorn had to be like... 6'6'' tall! He was not exactly a giant, but the sight of him was really impressive. I didn't even know if Korra was lucky or unfortunate to have such a boyfriend. I mean, she was pretty short for a 17-year-old young woman. After hugging Bolin, Saudorn moved to Mako, intending to give him a hug as well, yet he politely refused.

"I, uh, don't think it's a good idea".

"Ah, you still remember that circumstance?". Saudorn grinned.

"What circumstance?", I inquired him curiously.

"One that should not be mentioned, for his sake". Korra's boyfriend gave me a wink then looked back at Mako.

Next, he extended his hand towards me, wanting to shake hands. Amusedly surprised, I took his fairly big hand, shook it and thanked him for his hospitality. And despite being big, he held mine firmly yet softly, showing respect and gentleness towards women. _Hmm... an ideal lover, I see._

After that, Mako walked toward Korra and said:"Thanks for sending the Air Acolytes to help us with the move".

I agreeed with my boyfriend. "Yes, they've been amazing. Such tireless workers".

As I finished my sentence, two Air Acolytes carried my several trunks of luggage down the ramp.

"The airbenders surely are amazing", the woman in light brown cloak, who'd been standing next to Korra, spoke, "but in term of "tireless workers", the Hork-Bajir are even more wonder-".

Before she could finish her sentence, out of the blue, Pabu jumped on her head, startling her. Then, the polar bear-dog rushed towards her, acting like it wanted Pabu to get off the woman's head, accidentally pushing her to the ground, stomach first, prompting Pabu to jump away, the big animal licking her face as she looked at Saudorn with a sarcastic "well played" expression. _What was that about?_

Shortly after that, the woman stood up and Saudorn introduced her to me, Mako and Bolin as his mentor - Azara. When we were done shaking hands with the woman, I shook hands with Korra too ( with the Avatar looking bright and pleasant this time ), and all of us, including the airbending kids, strolled behind the playful polar bear-dog chasing Pabu forwards to the gates of Air Temple Island. At that moment, I had a sensation of being watched, casually looking to my right to see the airbending boy grinning at me.

"You're pretty, can I have some of your hair?". He held out his hand.

Mako spoke to me jokingly while winking:"Looks like I have some competition".

"And by the look of it, I say you'd better be careful, Mako". Saudorn chuckled. "Meelo is not to be underestimated".

"The tall man got that right!". The kid spoke aloud proudly, evoking light chuckles from Korra, Saudorn and Azara.

When we stopped walking, the yellow-bun-haired girl lifted her hands up. "And now for the grand tour". Following that, she spoke quickly, pointing at each area:"The flying bison sleep in those caves down there". She turned around. "And that's the temple Grandpa Aang built". She turned around again. "And that's the greenhouse where we grow the vegetables we eat". She turned back to us and grinned.

"I have a couple of questions", Bolin asked, causing the girl to stop smiling and look at him as he tried to mimic her quick talk, "is this an all vegetarian island?". He pointed at a direction. "Is that where you train airbending?". He grabbed his shirt. "Do we have to wear Air Acolyte clothes? Do we each get our own sky bison? And final question, how many trees are on this island?". Finally, he bent down to look at Ikki.

The girl thought for a mere second and answered quickly with her hands behind her back while rocking back and forth slightly. "Yes. Yes. No. No. Ten thousand five hundred and fifty two".

 _Oookay._

"So, where are we going to be staying?", Mako inquired her.

"You're a boy", Saudorn replied, and we turned towards him. "So, boys have to stay on the boys' side; meaning, time for you to follow me to the Men's Dormitory".

"Ha. Ha". Mako was annoyed at Saudorn's joke, following him, Bolin, and the eldest of the airbending kids, causing me to stifle a laugh.

"Meelo, why don't you go with the boys too?", Korra told the airbending boy.

He looked up at me before moving away. "We shall meet again soon, beautiful woman". _Very cute._

Korra, then, directed me as we walked. "Ikki, I and Azara will take you to your room. This way".

Three minutes later, we arrived at the Women's Dormitory, entering it, following a hallway. Unlike my home, the floors of the Women's Dormitory were wooden; there were also paper sliding doors and walls everywhere. Very traditional. Occasionally, there were a few trees in pots here and there as well. As we were walking, the girl named Ikki said:

"Asami, did you know Korra likes Mako?". _Huh?_

I was surprised at that. "Oh. Uh, no. I wasn't completely aware of that".

Suddenly, Korra grabbed my arm and dragged me further along the corridor. Once we reached the room, my room, she slided open the doors, and moved to the side, smiling and gesturing to me in an inviting manner to enter the room. As I entered, I heard the sound of doors slamming shut. I turned around in time to hear Ikki exclaim:"Hey!".

"Run along, Ikki!", Korra scolded.

Next, I heard some noises resembling that of a... cat? A growling cat. Then, I heard Azara gently tell the Ikki girl to go back to her parents' room. Once she was sure Ikki was away, the Avatar sighed, opened the door, letting Azara in, turned around and scratched her head awkwardly.

"So, here's your room. I know this is a little rustic compared to what you're used to".

She was quite right: The room was small, containing only basic furnishings and one window. Very different from my actual room. But I'd take it, and I did; I mean, I was not some rich, picky heiress who couldn't live without luxury.

"I think it's really charming". I walked to the window. "And the best part about it, nothing here reminds me of my father, and those walking horrors". I turned my head to look at Korra. "Thank you for your hospitality".

"After what happened last night, it would be wrong not to let you stay here just because your father is an Equalist. I have a philosophy that I follow very strictly: An individual should not be judged hastily because of the sins of their father. And it works wonders", Azara kindly directed me, making me feel humbled with her wisdom.

That was when someone knocked at the door.

Annoyed, the Avatar let out her outburst, making my eyes widen at her. "Ikki! I swear". She turned slightly to face and point at the door. "If you don't leave us alone, I'm gonna-".

She stopped her outburst immediately when the doors were open, whitened. It was Councilman Tenzin. With a slightly higher-pitched tone, she said:"Uh, Tenzin! Come right in".

He spoke, after walking towards and stopped in front of us:"Good day, ladies. Asami, welcome to the island".

I bowed down at Tenzin. "Thank you for having me". Tenzin bowed down to me right after. After that, he politely nodded towards Azara to acknowledge her presence, with the latter nodding in return.

"Beifong's replacement, Saikhan, is going to be inducted as the new Chief of Police later. I think we should be there. Saudorn is waiting with Oogi", the Councilman, then, directed Korra.

After saying goodbye and good day to Korra, Azara and Councilman Tenzin, I sat down on the bed, putting my handbag away, closing my eyes and thinking of my late mother, trying to recuperate from what'd happened back inside the underground factory. _Mom, please give me strength. Please give me hope, that Dad is not lost forever. I love you both._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

Once we arrived at the outside of the Police Headquarters, getting off Oogi, we quickly went to get on the podium as some of the leaders of Republic City, seeing a the crowd gathering in front of the Headquarters.

"It was an honor serving under Chief Beifong for so many years, and I wish her a speedy recovery. It is with great humility that I take her place as the new Chief of Police. Republic City is facing a threat like none the world has ever seen but there is one man who's been effective against Amon's revolution, Councilman Tarrlok". _Him? You must be joking._ Tarrlok nodded his head as reporters took his picture. "That is why for all matters involving the Equalists, I will report directly to him". _Wait a second, you do the what now?_ I and Tenzin turned our heads to Tarrlok with surprise. Next to me, I noticed Saudorn's calm demeanor, him coolly watching Saikhan giving his speech. _I wonder what he's thinking right now._ "The police department will lend any and all available resources to the councilman and his task force". Saikhan slammed his fist down on the podium. "Until we quell this insurgency".

"What is that weasel-snake Tarrlok up to now?", I muttered.

"I believe this is his next step to absolute power". Saudorn finally turned to me. "He's made Saikhan his official puppet". _Can't agree more with that._

As the crowd dispersed after the inauguration, we approached Tarrlok, who was giving the Fire Nation councilwoman a handshake, who left with the other council members, with Tenzin walking faster than usual, Tarrlok bowing after the councilpersons in their direction. _Faking bastard._

When Tenzin was near him, he directed him right away, accusingly:"Tarrlok, I don't know what you did to get Chief Saikhan in your pocket, but I highly doubt it was legal".

"Oh, Tenzin". Tarrlok turned to him. "Always the conspiracy theorist. Did you ever consider Saikhan simply recognizes my talents and wants what is best for this city?". _Yeah, right._ Tenzin grunts in disgust as I and my boyfriend walked towards them. "Well, Avatar Korra, Mr. Saudorn. Long time no see". He turned his attention to us, then to me. "Now that your little pro-bending distractions are over, I look forward to your return to my task force". _Return to your task force? Didn't you get enough oxygen in your head this morning because you inconveniently bent ice into your nose or something?_

"Hah!". I folded my arms. "Forget it! There's no way I'm rejoining your vanity project".

"That is unfortunate to hear, but I'm sure you'll come to your senses as you have in the past", Tarrlok replied.

"Don't hold your breath, bub". I pointed at him. "You know, Tenzin's been right about you all along. You played me, you played Beifong". I pointed at Tarrlok again. "And now you're playing the new Chief too". I swiped my hand aside, and walked up to the smug weasel-snake. "Well, I got news for you. You need me, but I don't need you. I'm the Avatar".

He smirked, somewhat scornfully and mockingly. "You're not, in fact, the Avatar". _What?_ That made my face soften with surprise. "You are merely a half-baked Avatar in training, which reminds me, how is your airbending going?". _You... bastard._ "Made any significant progress with that?". I looked down in defeat, clenching my teeth. "I didn't think-".

Before Tarrlok could finish his sentence, I was aware of someone stood in front of me while my eyes were still focus on the ground, shielding me, his voice full of steel and restrained anger. "You're crossing a line here, Tarrlok. Back. Off. Or I'm going to wipe that face off your skull".

"Your threat is duly noticed, Mr. Saudorn. But let me tell you one thing: I'm not afraid of threats, and I'm not afraid of a thug of a man like you. And since you love defending your girlfriend so much, maybe you should just tell her if she will not be a part of my task force, then she had best stay out of my way".

When I looked up again, Tarrlok was gone, and my boyfr- No, my infernal boyfriend turned back to me with concern written all over his face, putting his hand on my shoulder to comfort me, intending to say something. But... I didn't need any concern and any comfort from anybody! Angrily, I pushed his hand away, not letting him say whatever he was going to, and scolded him:

"Thanks, Saudorn, for making me appear weak in Tarrlok's eyes. Now I'm not only a half-baked Avatar, but also a coward, who hides behind my boyfriend's back!".

Following that, I stormed off towards Oogi, wanting to get the damnation out of there, back to Air Temple Island, just so I didn't have to be reminded of that Tarrlok scoundrel... and my boyfr- Ah, no, but that was impossible! Tenzin had to get him back home on Oogi as well. _Swell._

...

Once we all were back on Oogi and were on the way home, for a while, we only stayed silent because I didn't want to talk to anyone at that moment. And to avoid Saudorn's piercing, dark eyes, I looked away, pretending that he was not on Oogi, sitting opposite me, looking or glaring at me or whatever. However, inwardly, I sighed heavily out of sadness; not because of Tarrlok's comment about my airbending training progress, but because of the fact that I was starting another fight with my boyfriend. I hated it, yet I couldn't help it. I was just... so angry! And... and... the silence. Spirits, the silence was too tense for my liking! I felt like I was suffocating.

Shortly later, couldn't stand it anymore, I spoke to Tenzin, rather harshly:"Tenzin, why don't you say something? Just give me some of those wisdoms of yours like you always did".

"I don't think it works like that, Korra", my mentor responded, turning his head a bit to look back at me, "first, you have to express your feelings outwards just so I'll know what to do with them".

"Fine", I said curtly, frustrated. "I don't understand what's wrong with me. I've memorized nearly all of the practice forms, but I still can't produce a single measly puff of air! I'm a failure".

"There is nothing wrong with you, sweethea-", Saudorn directly gently.

Quickly, I cut him off:"I'm talking with Tenzin here, didn't you see that?".

"Okay", he replied simply, and I didn't know why, but it made me wince.

"Saudorn's right. You're not. You just need to work through this airbending block", Tenzin said.

I chuckled sarcastically. "Amazing advice. I'll get right on that".

"I wasn't finished yet". Tenzin was slightly annoyed. "You see, Aang not only had his bending teachers, but also his past lives to call upon for guidance. Have you ever made contact with your past lives?".

"No, of course I haven't. Didn't you get the memo from the White Lotus? I'm a spiritual failure, too". Now I was really sad.

Choosing to ignore my whining, my mentor suggested:"You may have made a connection without realizing it. Perhaps something you mistook as a dream?". _A dream?_

I was thoughtful for a moment, trying to recall what Tenzin'd told me as a dream. "Hmm... Maybe. I had a few weird hallucinations, but I hardly even remember them".

My mentor was surprised. "And did you see any previous Avatars in these visions?".

"I saw Aang. It seemed like he was in trouble. What do you think it means?".

"Hmm, I don't know". Tenzin stroked his beard. "But I urge you to meditate on these visions. I believe Aang's spirit must be trying to tell you something".

As Oogi "landed" down on the ground in front of a sky bison cave, and as I stood up, walked past Saudorn without noticing him, I heard him say:

" 'There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you' ".

"What was that?". I turned back to him, surprised and curious.

"You heard what I said", Saudorn spoke, then, he stood up and turned to me. "That was what Iroh - Zuko's uncle - said to Toph after she left Aang, Katara and Sokka".

With that, he jumped off the sky bison and proceeded to walk away. I immediately turned to Tenzin with a "did you just hear what he said?" expression only to get a knowing, small smile from him. _Really, Tenzin?_

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After quoting Iroh's wisdom to Korra, I jumped off Oogi and proceeded to walk away towards the Women's Dormitory, to Azara's room, to ask her for another training session before heading to Tenzin's family's dining room for lunch. Inside my female mentor's room, before the training session, I told her about what'd transpired during and after Saikhan's induction as the new Chief of Police, voicing my concern about Tarrlok's power-hungry ambition. I said that beside the recent update about the bad guys' preparations for war, Tarrlok's political power and his task force were becoming a distraction, to the war and to my relationship with Korra, and an annoying one at that. Calmly, Azara replied that Tarrlok was not such a problem to be concerned with, even when he'd managed to affect my girlfriend's morale, indirectly causing our relationship to be, well, stranded yet again. She assured me that Korra would be fine.

After that, we went out to the airbending training area to continue my whipping training. This time, I was to form a microorganism whip, use it and fight against my female mentor, who "borrowed" my microorganism halberd as a weapon, to improve my striking skills. Two sparring matches and two 10-minute breaks later, I was to practice tendril dodging again, getting from 5 attempts at dodging to 9, then to 11, impressing the hell outta Azara. Next, we called it a day and went to have lunch in the dining room, me sitting next to Korra, yet none of us talking to each other, despite me not angry or cold or anything. I wanted to wait 'til she felt better. After lunch, I asked Azara to continue to tell me about that Guardian stuff she'd tried to give me full details of; nevertheless, she told me that she had an important and urgent meeting outside of this world, so she was not be able to tell me right then. Yet if I wanted to, I could continue to train, she said before departing, which I did that whole afternoon, forgetting the fact that Korra was supposed to train too. And she didn't come.

Once I was done with the training, it was late in the afternoon. I went to the Men's Bathroom to take a bath, and then, I went to the dining room to have lunch, seeing both Tanna and Anyu there talking with everyone. Upon seeing my two dear female friends, I came to give each of them a warm hug, happy to see that the Equalists' attack aiming at the arena did nothing to suppress their cheerful selves. That was when I noticed Korra glaring at me, annoyed and jealous, and that gave me an interesting idea. _She's jealous? Then I'll make others jealous too._ As I walked towards Korra, intending to sit next to her, I gradually embraced her pleasantly from behind, lovingly kissing her cheek, evoking a long "oooh" from my female friends, Ikki, Jinora, Pema and Bolin. About Korra? Predictably, she didn't have enough will power to resist and continue to be as childish as ever ( quote General Fong:"It worked. It worked! ), blushing furiously at the intimate contact.

Notwithstanding, ten minutes into dinner, the young Avatar simply excused herself, getting out of the room as quick as she could without looking hurried. Even though many of the people in the room encouraged me to go after her, I wanted to give her more space, seeing that she still didn't want to be near me, and that that hug just made her all the more embarrassed. After a while, Asami and the two brothers politely excused themselves too, already done with their meal, saying that they'd talk to my girlfriend and see what was going on ( Meelo followed them shortly after they left ). And me? I just stayed in the dining room until the dinner was finished, everybody, including Tanna and Anyu, leaving the room, with the latter two saying that they'd wait for me in my room if I wanted to talk about the Korra thing. That was when I sensed the Avatar leaving the island together with Asami, Mako and Bolin. _What the hell are they up to now?_

Back in my room, I told my two female friends about what'd occurred after the induction of the new Chief of Police, recapitulating the confrontation between Korra and Tarrlok, with the latter rubbing salt into the wound by attacking her airbending training progress, having not been able to inform them during dinner, with Korra around, evoking anger and disapproval from the young women, calling the son of a bitch all kinds of names that made me so proud as a curser. Next, I told them about me defending my girlfriend, shielding her from Tarrlok's verbal attack; and they asked me excitedly if I'd kicked Tarrlok's ass, to which I replied that I hadn't, and it was not really necessary unless Tarrlok was the one who desired a fight first. Then, I explained to Tanna and Anyu that the defending was the reason why my relationship with Korra became stranded... again, as my girlfriend blamed me for making her look like a coward in Tarrlok's eyes.

Upon hearing that, the two young women said that it was ridiculous to think that way, that I was just looking out for my beloved. I agreed with their sentiment, yet I spelled it out for them that Korra was a proud, and still, childish teenage, so it made sense she behaved that way. Now, they asked me what I wanted to do about it, and I told them what I'd said before: Give her some space ( also, that means that I didn't need to tell them about Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin leaving the island too, despite being pretty worried about what they were going to do next ). Finally, to keep my mind away from Korra for a while, I suggested a sparring match challenge between me and Anyu, with the young woman responding:"You're on, Mister".

Five minutes later, we arrived at the training area and began the match. First, I formed small, wood square block-like objects, then I hurled them at Anyu. Quickly, the Water Tribe young woman let loose a volley of water bullets to meet with my blocks, changing them to sharp and pointy icicles, breaking through the objects, aiming at me. Not feeling worried at all, I raised a wall to shield myself from the incoming 'ice-knives', then I made the wall charge forwards with great speed. However, Anyu created a water spout to lift her up in the air, freezing the top of the spout with her standing on it, using the rest of the water to catapult her at me before the wall destroyed it. While in midair, she immediately put water around her fingers, freezing them, making it look like she had ice claws! Outside the ying yang platform, Tanna was encouraging Anyu to kick my butt. _Ice claws huh? Let me show you something even more interesting!_ Fleetly, I constructed Wolverine's claws and long, tapewrap-like bindings to bind the claws to the back of my hands, engaging Anyu in a claw-to-claw combat, resulting in each of us receive scratches from the other. Me, I got some across my left cheek, while Anyu got some on her right arm.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. You've managed to scratch me, unlike Bolin, who couldn't even have the stomach for it". The Water Tribe young woman grinned.

"You fought with Bolin?". I was incredulous.

"Nah, it was just a fun sparring match between water and earth, you know". She shrugged. "Bolin is nice as a boyfriend, but as a fighter, especially against women, he has a lot to learn".

"Good thing I already learned". It was my turn to grin.

"Then, let's see how good you are, Mr. Handsome!".

Finishing her sentence, my female "opponent" intending to use the water to freeze my feet, waterbending the liquid towards me, close to the ground, like a creeper. Having already controlled all of the microorganisms on the small part of the platform's surface in front of me, I waited until the water was near me, then I "bent" it up in the air, sending it back at Anyu, whose eyes widened at my ability. However, before the water hit her, she regained her composure and broke it down into vapor. After that, she rushed forwards, this time intending to use a water whip against me, us initiating another hand-to-hand combat session, resulting in me grasping her left arm, guiding it behind her back, and shouldering her pretty hard so she would be catapult away on the ground. Standing up right away, Anyu glared at me with slight anger, swiftly turning the vapor around her back to liquid form as a big blob of water, dividing it into smaller blobs, then, she changed them to many ice discs.

 _Someone is getting serious._

Not wasting her time, Anyu hurled the discs at me, backed up by Tanna cheers and encouragement. _Time to display a higher form of my powers._ To counter Anyu's new move, I shaped a lot of short, corrugated steel bar-like things, letting them spin very fast like helicopter blades, tossing them forwards, breaking the discs in the process, heading towards Anyu. Once they were near her, to catch her off guard, I moved them up in the air, made them stop spinning and arranged them according to a slender, cylinder-like shape, and rapidly slammed them down around Anyu, bending the top of the bars inwards to form some sort of a ceiling to a special "cage" for humans. Just to make sure that my "opponent" couldn't break out of the "cage", I made the bar's materials even harder than diamond, just like what I'd done to the microorganisms prior to annihilating that platinum wall back in the secret factory underneath the Sato mansion.

Afterwards, I smirked teasingly and triumphantly at Anyu, who shot me a "Really?" look inside the "cage". Following that, I gave her a chuckle and removed all the bars, disintegrating them into thin air, offering my hand to call a "truce". Giving me a shrug, then a smile, Anyu shook my hand, then said:

"But I'll get a rematch someday, so watch out".

Once all was said and done, seeing it was late, Anyu said that she and Tanna had to go home now, the latter joining us, hugging me, then Anyu, complimenting both of us for putting up a quality sparring match. Next, I escorted the ladies to the port, sensing Korra's presence on our way there. When we arrived at our destination, Korra, Asami and the brothers were just getting back from whatever they'd been doing all night out in the city. As the two group met, Bolin hugged Anyu affectionately, excitedly telling her about how he, Mako, Korra and Asami patrolled Republic City streets as Team Avatar, stopped a group of jailbreaking Equalists and got in Tarrlok's nerves with their success. _So that's what they've been busy themselves with._ Once he was done with Anyu, Bolin turned to me and said:"Isn't that great?", to which I feigned enthusiasm and replied that it indeed was, high-fiving him. After saying goodbye to Tanna and Anyu, I "escorted" Team Avatar back to the path to the dormitories, Bolin still was excited about the first activities of the Team.

When we reach the spot where Ikki'd announced a "grand tour", we parted ways, Korra and Asami heading to the Women's Dormitory, while I and the brothers heading to the Men's Dormitory. Inside my room, feeling kinda sleepy, I pulled my shirt over my head, nonchalantly throwing it away, crashing down onto the bed, fast to sleep.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	22. Chapter 19

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language ( welcome back to Swearville :D ). I don't own the song Brand of Evil by Exumer. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XIX - Extremes Arise**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Clocktown Boulevard, Republic City, nightfall.

Korra's p.o.v.

After spending the whole morning focusing on meditating, trying to catch another glimpse or two of the visions concerning Aang, and after trying to refocus on my airbending and failing to put out some air ( apart from the exhalation of frustration from my nose and mouth, that is ), now I was resting and eating dumplings together with the rest of _Team Avatar_ ( still with no Saudorn as I hadn't attempted to ask him to join us, because I still didn't want to be near him ), a long while of patrolling later. It was really boring as damnation, driving around town, browsing radio channels, looking for any lead, anything at all, about the Equalists, but there was none. Yet it kind of helped distract my mind from Saudorn and my relationship with him, for now.

Maybe I was the one at fault here, yelling at him for looking out for me; maybe it was my ego acting up; or maybe I was just being stupid again; but at that time, I was afraid that Tarrlok might spread some false rumor about me being a coward, hiding behind my boyfriend's back when it comes to confrontation. Actually, I was not worried about what Tarrlok thought of me, but I was concerned that people would buy his bullshit and doubt my abilities as the Avatar, or even _me_ as the Avatar. What's the point of being the Avatar when people, who you're supposed to protect, don't trust you to do your job properly? I had seen how Tarrlok played many individuals like a bunch of puppets. So who knows what would happen if that bastard chose to make citizens of Republic City turn against me? It'd make it even worse! I didn't need another problem to pile on the Equalist business, the coming war, and then Saudorn all over again. Anyway, I should have kept my temper in check and explained to him-

"All available units, please respond to the fifty six hundred block of Dragon Flats borough. Equalists have taken to the streets, consider them armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution". The radio suddenly started buzzing.

Not saying a word, we all hurriedly finished off the dumplings, moving into the car, Bolin jumping besides Asami.

"I call front!", he said aloud excitedly.

When it was my and Mako's turn, the latter stood aside, motioning to the car.

"After you", he said, smiling, guiding me to the vehicle with his left hand, reminding me of my own boyfriend who was also a gentl- _Wait a minute, why am I reminded of him through Mako? Oh..._

Smiling politely back at him, I replied:"What a gentleman. Thanks!".

After that, he jumped into Asami's automobile, us continuing to smile at each other as the vehicle began to move, heading towards the Dragon Flats borough. When we got there, police airships were circling around an area plunged in darkness. _What in damnation?_

"Why is the power out?", I wondered aloud.

The car swerved around the corner and stopped. Asami took off her goggles as we got out of the automobile and looked at hundreds of nonbenders protesting at the metalbending police officers who were holding them behind a blockade. _Oh no…_

Asami was confused, walking forwards with the team. "Wait a second, these people aren't armed or dangerous".

"Sure doesn't look that way", I spoke, really concerned.

At that time, we turned to see Saikhan speaking through a microphone.

"All nonbenders, return to your homes immediately".

From the crowd, one protesting voice was heard. "Yeah, as soon as you turn our power back on!".

Very shortly after, there were other voices expressing their agreement.

"Disperse, or you will all be arrested".

"You benders can't treat us this way!", a woman holding a child cried out.

Then, upon seeing us, or to be exact, me, her other child tugged at her skirt and pointed at me.

"Mummy, look! It's the Avatar!".

People turned around and rushed toward me.

"Please, help us! You're our Avatar, too!", the woman with the child pleaded.

I looked at the people in sadness, then I strode forwards, pushing two metalbender cops aside.

"Everyone, please stay calm. I'm gonna put a stop to this", I announced out loud.

Next, I turned along with my friends, searching for Tarrlok. Once we located him, we saw him talking to a task force member.

"Tarrlok, you need to turn the power back on and leave these people alone", I demanded him.

Upon seeing me, he spoke sternly:"Avatar Korra, you and your playmates have no business being here". _Up yours, Tarrlok, you have no business abusing these people either._

"We're not going anywhere. You don't have the right to treat these innocent people like criminals".

Tarrlok lifted his hand. "This is an Equalist rally". He pointed at the people. _Are you kidding me? Spiritdamn-_ "There is nothing innocent about it".

"They're not Equalists, they're just normal people who want their rights back". Asami stood up to him.

"They are the enemy!", he responded furiously. Then, he barked at the metalbending offices:"Round up all these Equalists!".

Metalbending cops began to earthbend, removing the legs from the barriers and forcing the people back as they coil the barriers around them. The metalbenders slammed their legs into the ground, causing great mounds of earth to rise underneath the nonbenders, lifting them off the ground. Fear began to spread through those not caught, and they started running away. The police force prepared to put people into the police trucks, while we looked on, aghast. _I can't believe this. How dare they?_

I ran towards the people. "Stop!", I shouted out loud in outrage.

I earthbent the mounds of earth down so everyone can escape. When I thought I had the situation under control, I heard Asami shout aloud.

"Hey! Let me go!".

I turned around to see that Tarrlok had bent a water whip to grab onto Asami's wrist. _You weaseling miscreant!_ My female friend was now struggling angrily to be free.

"You're under arrest!", Tarrlok declared.

Mako was shocked. "What?". He pointed at him. "You can't do that!".

Asami was, then, grabbed by the task force. "Actually, I can". The scoundrel smiled wickedly. "She's a nonbender out past curfew". He pointed at Asami. "And her father is a known Equalist conspirator". _You can't be serious!_

Mako was furious. "Let her go!".

Tarrlok directed the metalbending officers while pointing at the brothers:"Arrest him and his brother!".

The metalbenders coiled their cables around Mako and Bolin and pulled them in.

I shouted angrily:"Tarrlok!".

Immediately, I earthbent two massive rocks on either side of me, ready to smash the scum of a man's face in! However, Tarrlok was not intimidated. Not even a little bit.

"Unless you want to join your friends in prison". He smirked. "I suggest you put those down and go back to the Air Temple".

Upon seeing my near violent outburst, Mako spoke:"Korra, listen to him. It's not worth it".

 _Wh-where's Saudorn when I need him?_ Defeated, I reluctantly dropped the rocks back down.

As the brothers walked into the police truck, Bolin looked back at me and said aloud:"We'll be all right!".

 _I hope so, Bolin. I do hope so. Forgive me._

Quickly, I called back:"Don't worry, I'll call Tenzin and Saudorn. They can get you out".

Once all of my friends were inside one of the trucks, the doors closed on them, still looking at me sadly. I could only looked on in dismay. _How? How did it come to this?_

"So sad to see your little Team Avatar broken up. You had a good run".

 _We'll see who has a good run after I beg my boyfriend for forgiveness then let him loose on you, Weaselface._

I pointed at him. "This isn't over, Tarrlok".

"Oh, I believe it is". He smirked again. After that, he ordered the drivers:"Take them away".

As the trucks sped away, I looked at them before looking down in regret.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After another nightmare about losing Korra again, this time to Tarrlok, I woken up as early as I'd done before, feeling really worried about my girlfriend. _What did it mean? What did the dream mean when Korra was kidnapped by Tarrlok? Will it become real? Is it going to happen?_ The more I wondered about the nightmare, the more I needed to tell Korra about what'd happened in it. _But what if it was just a dream? What if she's angry at me for waking her up at such hour? Come on, Saudorn, think. You have to do something. Or maybe... Maybe I'll just wake Azara- Ah, shit, she's still not returned yet. Sooo... What am I gonna do now?_

After a while of self-debating, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to tell Korra right away. Thus, I got out of bed, put my shirt on again and exited my room, heading towards the Women's Dormitory, determined to arrive at my girlfriend's room. As I was walking past Asami's room, I heard some small sound from there, rapidly using my powers to scan inside, immediately forming a smile on my lips upon "seeing" Mako and Asami making love to each other, both breathing raggedly, groaning and grunting in pleasure, all sweaty- _Hmm... What am I doing? I'm not a perv!_ Decided to leave the couple alone, I moved on to Korra's room, suddenly hesitating as my hand was about to slide the doors open. _Perhaps I shouldn't. Perhaps I'll tell her tomorrow. After all, she won't have anything much to do during the day, will she?_

Placing a hand on one of the doors, I whispered a "I love you, Korra" even when she couldn't possibly hear me. Next, I retraced my steps and began to walk out of the building; when I was passing by Asami's room again, out of the blue, I heard both of her and Mako grunt and speak a bit loudly, though not too loudly, them two achieving climax at the same time. _Serious-fuckin'-ly? First time is amusing, but not the second!_ Sighing exasperatedly, I quickened my pace in order to get out as soon as possible. As I was finally back in my room, I crashed down on the bed, feeling tired, and was quick to sleep.

...

Next morning, I was still asleep; and this time, there was no nightmare, just a dreamless sleep. Then, I felt someone trying to rouse me awake, first with a weak attempt, and then more force was applied. Finally, I opened my eyes, slowly, to find out that it was Ikki who'd been aiming to wake me up, being able to hear what she was saying:

"Hey, Saudorn, wake up! You're late for lunch!".

"Huh? Who- Oh, Ikki", I spoke groggily, sitting up gradually, "uh... what time is it?".

"It's 12:46:35. Come on, everybody's waiting for you!".

"Alright, alright. Stop prompting me".

Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the dining room, having made myself look decent. Inside, there were... not many people around, just Pema, Meelo and Bolin. _"Everybody's waiting for me", eh?_ As I looked down at Tenzin's second child accusingly, she looked up at me and only grinned. Upon seeing me, Pema spoke kindly:

"Ah, you're here. Sit down and enjoy the meal. There are still many, so don't you worry about it".

"Where is everybody?", I asked Tenzin's wife, a bit surprised, sitting down.

Before she could answer, Bolin did it for me. "Tenzin's waiting for you in his study, he said that he needs to discuss something with you as soon as you finish lunch. Mako and Asami are probably either with Korra or wandering around the island. Jinora is back in her parents' room. And Korra is... Maybe she's in her room or out at the training area", he said with his mouth still full of rice, aware of Pema's "you didn't just steal my moment" stare.

Nodding at Bolin, I began to get the food in my small bowl, starting to eat. When I was done, I excused myself while Bolin began to help Pema gather the bowls and dishes to bring them to the kitchen and wash them, wanting to find Korra before heading to Tenzin's study. Once I was outside, I scanned the island for my girlfriend's presence, locating her... sitting in her room alone, no Mako and Asami. Next, I proceeded to walk towards the Women's Dormitory, heading straight to Korra's room. There, I knocked on the doors, telling her that I needed to talk to her about something important, but she still didn't want to talk to me, saying that I should go away. Immediately, I told her about what'd happened in my dream the night before, warning her about Tarrlok, even though she'd already knew what kind of a man Tarrlok was. Yet I suspected no one knew about what kind of a man he _really_ was ( and I admit, not even me, because, at that time I had not watched Legend of Korra again for a year ).

When I finished talking, the Avatar was silent, so I waited a full minute to see if she changed her mind or not. She didn't. Feeling sad, I could only leave a "just be careful" and a "I love you" before leaving the building, striding towards Tenzin's study. Once inside, I sat down on a chair and Tenzin told me that what he wanted to discuss with me was nothing else but Tarrlok, expressing his concern over the fact that his "fellow" councilman now had more political power than ever. Then, he proceeded to recapitulate what'd transpired during his early council meeting this morning, with Tarrlok making "it illegal for anyone to be a member of the Equalists or even be associated with them"; then, to put more "fucked" in his fucked-up plan, he made the council put into effect a curfew to make sure all nonbenders were in their own homes by nightfall. And all in all, it sounded to me nothing more than the rise of one of the most disgusting form of tyranny, ever - a fuckin' dictatorship.

 _So, the dream was somehow true after all. Even though Korra is not related to the Equalists and not a nonbender, her friends sure are. If they decide to patrol tonight, they will get into a big, very big trouble, Asami for being related to her father and being a nonbender, and the brothers for being associated with Asami. Also, I know for sure that Korra is NOT one to sit idly by when her friends are in harm's way, she may do something rash, like attacking Tarrlok and/or the metalbending cops, giving him an excuse to put her out of his way, perhaps for good. Ah, I can't believe this shit. It's gonna be really fucked-up._

Even though I was extremely worried about my Avatar girlfriend, I still didn't forget what Azara had said about Hiroshi Sato being an affair from the World of Benders. Hence, Tarrlok was too. I might have lived here long enough and loved Korra deeply enough to claim that I belong to this world now, but technically, I was still an outsider. If nothing else, me using my past experience at the arena only proved it further. Therefore, I couldn't be really furious at Tarrlok for trying to eliminate Korra ( little did I know at that time that I was so wrong. So. Motherfuckin'. Wrong ), in view of the fact that people would see me as a foreign aggressor/murderer if I was and decided to tear that fucker to shreds. Thus, the talk with Tenzin got no-frickin'-where, as none of our solutions to take down Tarrlok worked, neither new or the ones back when I'd first discussed with Tenzin.

 _So... it's up to me to warn Korra now._

When I and Tenzin were done, it was late afternoon. As soon as I was outside again, I searched for Korra psychically, and... I couldn't find her anywhere! Not even her friends! _Shit, they fuckin' went out to patrol. They fuckin' went out to patrol on me! How did this happen? How did I let them slip away so easily? Okay, Saudorn, breathe, stay calm, use your head. What's next? What to do next? Well, I can leave and try to find them. Maybe I can persuade Naga to help me in order to be discreet about it. Or maybe I can tell Tenzin to let the White Lotus accompany me, searching for them. No, fuck it, you know it's too late, Saudorn. Even if you manage to find them before they meet Tarrlok, Korra won't appreciate your meddling. You can't risk a bigger rift that is back to divide you and the love of your life._

Sighing heavily, I went to the dining room to have dinner and spent time there until my girlfriend got back.

...

About 10:00 p.m. , as Ikki had guessed, I was playing Pai Sho with Pema, having my ass handed to me after just a few rematches, suddenly sensing Korra's presence on the island. Uttering her name aloud, I quickly left the dining room, exiting the building, running straight to the temple entrance. Once I was nearly there, I saw Korra running past the entrance, intending to be headed towards whatever destination she'd had in mind. Upon seeing me too, she rushed at me, almost tackling me to the ground with an emotional hug, sobbing uncontrollably, trying to beg for my forgiveness and to tell me what was going on, me hugging her back, happy that she was alright. However, I didn't see the rest of Team Avatar with her; that was when I immediately knew what'd happened. _Tarrlok, you motherfuckin' piece of miserable, wretched, insignificant, speck of feculent scum. How dare you?_ ( Shinnok:"And all of Earthrealm will learn the truth of death" ). Gently pushing Korra a bit away, holding her face with my hands, I kissed her forehead lightly then wiped away her tears.

"Let's go see Tenzin", I spoke, smiling kindly at my girlfriend, who smiled back a little.

Once we were at the councilman's study, Korra proceeded to tell him about Team Avatar's second encounter with Tarrlok, resulting in them all, but the Avatar, getting arrested according to the new "law". Appalled, angry yet resolved, Tenzin promised Korra he would right this great ( or humanly frigging ) wrong. After a while, all three of us arrived at the Police Headquarters on Oogi's back, getting off the sky bison, approaching the big building, Tenzin walking up to the front doors. When we spotted Saikhan walking by, with him noticing us, trying to walk away. _Oh no, you don't, you son of a bitch._

"Saikhan, a word, please", Tenzin directed him.

The new Chief ( Filth ) of Police turned to us. "Councilman Tenzin, I'm pretty swamped at the moment. Can this wait?".

"No, it cannot. Three of Avatar Korra's friends were wrongly arrested tonight. I'd like you to release them immediately".

"They're not going anywhere. They were interfering with police business", the fucker replied.

"Your so called police business was nothing but an execution of a dictator government's will!", I raged out loud, having heard enough of lies for one day, surprising both Korra and Tenzin, "rounding up people, labelling them "Equalists" just because they wanted to have their light back as usual? And arresting the Avatar's friends just because they were defending those that need them? You don't care about the people!". I pointed at him. "You only care about control! And obedience! Hearing and obeying your master's call". I spat on the floor. "Like a damn puppet! You're lucky this place was founded by Toph Beifong, succeeded by her daughter - Lin Beifong - and I don't want to stain their halls with your disgraceful, unworthy and shameful blood!".

When I calmed down a little bit, I noticed that Saikhan's face had become so white that he could be passed as a freakin' vampire right there and then. And, of course, he was some kind of vampire, alright. Fuck 'im. Then, next to me, Tenzin spoke again:

"He's right. Those people are entitled to due process under the law".

"You-you'll have to take that up with Councilman Tarrlok".

Tenzin responded with steel in his voice:"Oh, I plan to. At the council meeting, first thing in the morning".

"Also, you're officially the worst Chief of Police ever!". My girlfriend pointed at Saikhan. Next, she placed her hand to grip his chin, moving his head up and down.

Tenzin, then, grabbed Korra away. "Calm down, Korra", he said, "I'll get this sorted out, we just need to be patient".

Shortly after that, we turned and started to walk away, with me giving Saikhan a look that could kill a platypus bear, before Tenzin stopped and turned around.

"But you really are the worst!", he pointed at Saikhan.

Once he was done with that, all three of us left the building, climbing onto Oogi and heading back to Air Temple Island.

...

Korra's p.o.v.

Once we were back to Air Temple Island, and once I said goodnight to Tenzin, I led Saudorn to my room, all excited. I just wanted to make love to him so much! Back at the police station, he was so awesome, getting super angry like that, scaring the spirit out of Saikhan right in front of everybody! As soon as we were inside my room, I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, our tongues dancing with one another, feeling his hands roaming my back, after sliding the doors shut. Hurriedly, I broke the kiss, moving to nibble his neck, then pulling his shirt up to kiss his abs, his chest, and playfully bite his nipples. Nonetheless, as I was trying to get his shirt over his head, he gently grasped my hands and stopped me from doing so.

"Why did you stop me?". I was confused.

"I love to do it with you, Korra. I really do. But our friends are in jail", he replied.

Upon seeing my mistake, I mentally smacked myself in the head. _Oh, Spirits, I can't possibly totally forget about the rest of Team Avatar!_

"Oh. You're... right. I-I guess I was just...", I stammered.

"It's okay, honey, you managed to turn me on too".

With that, he moved my hand towards his crotch and let me feel the big bulge in his... zins? Or jeens? Anyway, Spirits, it felt so huge! It made me want to... _No, I can't think about it. Not when Asami, Mako and Bolin are in jail!_

"So... what are we gonna do now?", I asked my boyfriend.

"Let's sleep, sweetheart. It's late". He smiled down at me. "Tomorrow, you'll be reunited with our friends. Therefore, you need sleep to save your strength and excitement".

I chuckled at his joke and gave him a kiss on his left cheek. "Alright, sweetie, let's sleep".

Next, we got in bed and went to sleep. However, for some reason, I couldn't sleep, so I just stayed up for a while, thinking about my friends and also about what Saudorn had said about me being kidnapped by Tarrlok. The more I thought about those things, the more frustrated I became. Finally, couldn't stand the frustration anymore, I got out of bed as quietly as I could, opening the window to look at Republic City, seeing that it was snowing, feeling the cold rush in. _Despite the dream, I have to confront Tarrlok, I think there's a reason behind all this. There must be. Is it because of me refusing to rejoin his task force? Did he have my friends arrested just because of that? Feel like it did. I have to go. I have to get it all straight._

Looking back at Saudorn sleeping, I felt warm in my heart and lucky that I had such a good, kind, loyal and sometimes... very protective boyfriend. Nevertheless, I had to do it alone. _I'm sorry, Saudorn, I need to do this. I know you love me and only want me to be safe, yet Tarrlok has made it personal to me, so I have no choice but to make it personal to him as well._ Stealthily opening the closet to get my parka, closing the window, approaching the doors, slowly opening them, gradually closing them, I moved to Naga's room, sliding the doors open, alerting her to my presence. After shushing her, I beckoned her to follow me out of the building, heading straight to the temple entrance, avoiding the White Lotus guards, approaching the dock, creating a medium piece of ice, letting Naga get on it with me on her back, then bending the ice towards Republic City.

Five minutes later, I arrived at City Hall, slipping down from Naga. Next, I instructed her:

"Wait for me here, girl". She moved her head with concern, but I rubbed my head against hers. "Don't worry, I'll be all right".

As all was said and done, I used my bending to move around the big building, looking for Tarrlok's office. Once I found it, I burst the windows open, blowing papers everywhere. As I entered the room via the windows, I announced:

"You and I need to talk".

Tarrlok turned to his assistant. "Are any of the other council members here?".

"I believe everyone has gone home for the night", the council page responded.

"Then you should do the same", he ordered simply.

"Are you sure, sir?".

"Leave us". Tarrlok was insistent.

The council page looked at me before looking back at Tarrlok. He bowed and quickly walked away. Now I have the weasel's full attention.

"You obviously have something on your mind. Spit it out", he demanded.

"Don't you see? You're doing exactly what Amon says is wrong with benders. You're using your power to oppress and intimidate people!", I spoke.

He tilted his head to the side. "And you don't?".

I was taken aback. _How dare he?_ "Of-of course not!".

"Isn't that what you came here to do? Intimidate me into releasing your friends?". I glared at him. "See, that's what I admire about you, Korra. Your willingness to go to extremes in order to get what you want. It is a quality we both share". _Never, asshole._

"You and I are nothing alike!", I spat back angrily.

"Look, I'll make you a deal. You fall in line and do what I say and I'll release your friends". The bastard smiled wickedly.

I was shocked at what he'd just said. _I can't believe it, I was right all along!_ "That's why you arrested them? To get to me?".

Tarrlok creased his brows. "I need your answer".

"No. You might be able to manipulate Chief Saikhan into following you, but it won't work on me", I answered seriously.

Tarrlok stood up and turned his back, angry. "You will regret that decision".

"You need to be stopped!". I pointed at him accusingly. "You're just as bad as Amon!".

"I've tried to work with you, Korra, but you've made it impossible".

That was when he turned around, suddenly slicing a stream of water from the waterfall behind his desk at me. I barely dodged it, only a small section of my hair being cut. I rolled and earthbent at him, forcing him back and causing him to hit his back on the wall. Following that, I raised my arms and held it straight while shooting a blast of fire toward Tarrlok, who protected himself by waterbending a dome around him. He thrust his hands forwards repeatedly behind the dome, firing several ice darts towards me. Instantly, I flipped back to try and dodge them, but still got grazed as I landed. Next, I attempted to punch the ice darts away, but one caught me on my side. _Damn it!_ I lifted my hands up to protect my head. Tarrlok continued to throw ice darts at me with a sadistic smile, but I earthbent a wall to protect myself. Then, I thrust my arm forwards, earthbent the wall behind Tarrlok into him, causing him to fly through another wall into the council chambers. When I stood at the hole on the wall, I saw him grabbing the railing with his hand, his hair loose over his face as he glared at me.

"Still think that I'm a half-baked Avatar?".

I earthbent, next, causing Tarrlok to fall to the ground. I jumped off and punched the ground, causing a gigantic hole around me. I looked up at him with anger, breathing heavily.

"What are you gonna do now? You're all out of water, pal", I taunted him.

Tarrlok moves away in fear as I began to firebend from my palms. I ran towards him intending to vaporize him, but I was suddenly halted by some invisible force, seeing Tarrlok... moving his hands around! _He... can bloodbend?_ I groaned in pain as he continued, making me fall to my knees.

"You're in my way, Avatar, and you need to be removed", he spoke simply.

I looked at my arms before looking at Tarrlok with stupefaction. "You're, you're a bloodbender?".

"Very observant", he commented amusedly.

I continued to struggle. "It's not a full moon! How-how are you doing this?!".

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me".

Tarrlok lifted me up and flung me across the room into a pillar. Then, all I saw was a bright light, and then the light faded and I found out that I was... standing a bit away from the center of the chamber! _Wha-what just happened? And... why am I transparent?_ At that time, I heard Tarrlok give out a loud gasp, looking straight forwards at... me! Me, eyes glowing, body encompassed by a bright halo, floating in the air! _The-the Avatar State? How is it possible?_ As I, or the other Korra or whatever, began to bend a pretty big ball of fire, all of a sudden, a ball, or a sphere, of lightning hit me, catapulting me against the wall once again. I immediately fell to the floor, eyes no longer glowing, struck by none other than Sojana herself, cackling and singing out loud.

In the dead of night, we kick in your door! Slam you to the floor!

Beat you 'til you bleed - from the head down! Traces won't be found!

No one hears you scream! Desperate and blind! We breathe cyanide!

Leave the mark of death! Punishment sores! shake you to the core!

Time has come - leceration!

Minutes of death - incarceration!

Gonna kill you - slow and lethal!

Welcome to our brand of evil!

Tools of the trade - are flashing so bright! Prepare to lose sight!

Hammers and drills - on common display! Your life fades away!

Docile, the pain runs it's course! There won't be remorse!

Greet your fear with one good look! Then we - seal the book!

Time has come - leceration!

Minutes of death - incarceration!

Gonna kill you - slow and lethal!

Welcome to our brand of evil!

Don't care what you say - we won't walk away! You feel the sting!

Raze down your life tonight! We back up every time!

We let - freedom - sink!

Your laws don't matter now! Dissolve what lies below!

We shatter - as - you - speak!

The Devil knows no love - we further his dear cause!

Until - all - is - bleak!

In the dead of night, we kick in your door! Slam you to the floor!

Beat you 'til you bleed - from the head down! Traces won't be found!

No one hears you scream! Desperate and blind! We breathe cyanide!

Leave the mark of death! Punishment sores! shake you to the core!

Time has come - leceration!

Minutes of death - incarceration!

Gonna kill you - slow and lethal!

Welcome to our brand of evil!

 _No..._

Shortly later, out of the blue, I heard a strange voice next to me.

"Come, Avatar Korra, it's time you learn".

Fleetly, I turned to the source of the voice, only to see a flash of bright, green light heading straight at me, drowning out my existence, causing me to scream aloud in horror and despair. And then there was none...

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	23. Chapter 20

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language, detailed descriptions of fucked-up things and a rape scene, welcome; and freaking out is "only for the weak" - In Flames :D . I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XX - Extreme Escalation**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Sojana's p.o.v.

"Who-who are you?", Tarrlok asked me, half surprised, half afraid.

 _Yes, be terrified, as you should._

"Who I am is not important, Councilman Tarrlok", I spoke, striding confidently towards him, "but there are more important tasks at hand. First, get her to your car; second, drive me to your hideout; and finally, prepare her for me and my friends".

"How dare you order me? I am-".

"Unfavored son of Yakone, a low-life little filth who thought he could rule Republic City from the shadow without being assaulted by the "force of justice", and now Councilman Tarrlok, a weakling who thinks he can fight me with his puny, tedious bloodbending". I approached him, smiling maliciously as he tried to bloodbend me. "Tell me something, Son of Yakone: Have you ever wondered what lightning tastes like?". Before him, I held up my hand, while the other grabbed the back of his neck tightly, showing him crackling lightning.

Tarrlok swallowed and dared not say anything, gazing straight at my hand, beads of sweat forming around his face. Satisfied that Tarrlok was silenced by my intimidation, I released him, chuckling aloud amusedly. Next, I pointed to the Avatar and ordered him:"Get her to your car, now".

Silently obeying my wish, Tarrlok approached the Avatar, picked her up, bloodbent her to his automobile, me following him. After putting her in the back of the vehicle, he closed the doors shut, briefly giving me a look, with me raising an eyebrow, him scoffing and getting in the automobile. Once I was inside, sitting at the passenger seat, momentarily reminded of what'd gone on in my ex's car after he "rescued" me from Anthony Jack. _But this time, I am the one in charge._

Around forty-five minutes later, the car stopped outside a two-story cabin in the snowy mountains that surrounded Republic City, after a long-distanced and silent driving. The building was brown and made primarily from wooden planks, though many were fragmented and decaying; two rectangular windows, one of which has curtains, could be found to the side. _A perfect place. A secret place._ [ Megadeth:"Welcome to my hideaway, my secret place. How I arrived, I can't explain. You're welcome to, if you want to stay. But everyone just runs away" - R.I.P. Nick Menza :( ] However, that was not the only thing that was perfect, there was another: Hank and the siblings, who were not in Equalist uniforms, were there also. Upon seeing the "trio", Tarrlok was astonished.

"What in damnation is this?", he demanded, turning towards me.

"You are not really bright for a manipulator, ain'tcha?". I smirked playfully at him. "The third task, Councilman Tarrlok, remember?".

"I am not your slave". He huffed.

"No, you're not. You're my temporary butler. Or you want me to find another word that rhymes with it? Maybe... butchered?".

"Alright, alright, no need for that!". Tarrlok immediately got out of the automobile.

When I got to the back of the vehicle after exiting it, Tarrlok had already opened the doors and was bloodbending Korra out of her former confined space. As we approached Hank and the siblings, the former spoke aloud excitedly:

"About damn time, Sojana! You and your buddy Tarrlok suuuure took time".

"Well, let's just say... the Coucilman had some technical difficulties with the Avatar". I winked at Agrigula's third-in-command.

"Oh, didn't we all, sweetie?".

"Alright, enough talking. Tarrlok, bring her down to the basement", I spoke to the human councilman.

Before he even had a chance to be surprised further because I knew about the basement, Hank threatened him:"You drop her on the ground and I'll squeeze your throat so hard your eyes pop out of their sockets, you hear me?".

Swallowing again, he gave Hank a fearful nod, then proceeded to bring the Avatar inside the cabin. The building's interior, although spacious, was not well-kept and quite run-down; there were numerous different pieces of worn-out furniture dotting the structure's upper level, which had an elevated and slanted ceiling. A stairway at the rear of the cabin led down to the basement, and a very "artistic" made-of-flesh-and-bones parrilla, with four legs made of two mutated human lower legs and two mutated human lower arms; while the bed mattress made of a great mass of twistedly mutated internal organs, such as super long intestines, super big livers and a bunch of still-pulsing brains; and the "bed frames", "bed railings" and "bed posts" made of an assemblage of veins, sinew, crimson bones, scarlet skulls and umbilical cords; all covered in wet, sticky, slimy, putrid and fetid bodily fluids, lay at its center. This room had only one source of light, which was a ceiling lamp, pointing downwards and directly towards the "bed". I and Hank chuckled aloud when Tarrlok saw the thing for the first time and gave out a loud gasp of shock and disgust, reminded of the first time the siblings had had a good look at the thing, just a few hours before. The instant Tarrlok's right foot was on the first stairstep leading downward, he uttered, his voice slightly trembling:

"This... this is monstrous!".

"I prefer the term... 'masterpiece' ", I whispered in his ear, "move".

As soon as my voice hardened, Tarrlok quickly complied and moved downstairs, with the rest of us following suit. _Good, everything was according to the plan._ The moment we all stood on the basement floor, I ordered Tarrlok to put Korra onto the fleshy parrilla, with him doing so ever so slowly, as if he was afraid that the "bed" would get him infected through the Avatar or something. Right after that, Hank used his Force-like power to make four dead, bloody hands attached to the "bed railings" clamp onto the unconscious Avatar's wrists and ankles. While he was doing all this, Tarrlok fleetly moved away and started vomiting violently, not being able to stand the smell of putrefaction any longer, making me and Hank laugh out loud at his pathetic, human weakness. Then, I told the human councilman to beat it, return to City Hall and clean the mess the Avatar had made, and he was glad to do so. I also warned him to use his mouth carefully to not reveal to anyone about his encounter with me, Hank and the siblings. Shortly later, when there were just four of us, Furroh spoke for the first time:

"I don't mean any disrespect, M-Mistress, but now that I and Simel have done our part, putting that thing down here, can we be dismissed?".

I smirked amusedly. "And why should I, or Manoward here". I gestured towards Hank. "Do that?".

Upon hearing that, Furroh stuttered, both in fright and in anger, trying to control himself. Deciding that all pretense of nicety was over, I eye-signaled Hank, him suddenly Force-choking Simel, making her kneel down. Surprised and furious, Furroh intended to attack Hank, but I was quicker than him.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah. You do that and the love of your life will die". I grinned cruelly.

"What-what do you want?", Furroh asked me, fear present in his eyes.

"Undress the Avatar". I directed him simply.

Couldn't believe what he'd just heard, Furroh stared at me, mouth agape, shocked, lustful and horrified all at the same time. _Human desire is a beautiful thing, isn't it?_ As he continued to stand there, Hank resolved to "encourage" him a bit by Force-choking his sister a little more aggressively. Hearing choking sounds from his lover's mouth, Furroh snapped out of astonishment and frantically begged me to spare his sister, to which I replied that as long as he did what he was told, Simel was going to be fine. Defeated, Furroh silently approached the unconscious Avatar, beginning to work on taking off her clothes. However, I didn't like that.

"I think I should have used the phrase 'tear her clothes apart'. Yet you must have known that this is not some creepy, tender moment a sicko wants to have to enjoy his time with his victim", I said, "tear her clothes apart".

Quickly following my order, Furroh started yanking at the Avatar's shirt, tearing a great portion from the entire thing. Next, he tore at her chest bindings, exposing her dark-skinned breasts, staring at them in wonder. Then, he did the same to the piece of fur, her pants and her loin bindings, taking out her shoes in the process. After that, she was completely naked, a pretty and delicious specimen all ripe for the taking! But I had better intentions than touching Korra at that moment. I wanted Simel. So, as soon as Furroh was done with the Avatar's clothes, I teased him:

"Tell me something, Furroh: Have you ever had the thought of... making the Avatar pregnant?".

"What- I- No! You can't possibly be serious!". He turned around to confront me. "You can't... make me rape her!".

"Either you fuck her so hard she's knocked up, or I'll let Manoward have fun with your sister".

Rapidly turning to look at his lover, Furroh saw Simel no longer Force-choked; but she was on all fours now, and Hank was standing directly behind her. Realizing what was at stake, Furroh closed his eyes, head down for a moment; then, he looked straight at his sister, whispering a "I'm sorry", moving to undress, showing off his lean and slightly muscled body and his delectable, young, fully erect and 6'' long cock. Walking towards him in a seductive manner, I calmly grasped his dick, giving it a light squeeze, evoking a small moan from him. Following that, I whispered in his ear:

"Have fun, naughty boy. Also, you'd better concentrate on what you do, or else...".

*Rape scene begins*

Swallowing fearfully, Furroh muttered a "Yes, Mistress". Afterwards, he turned around, inhaling and exhaling to gather courage, and climbed on the "bed", straddling Korra, while I moved to stand next to Hank, who used his Force power to "unlock" the hands that'd been tightly holding the young female Avatar's ankles. Once done, he instructed Furroh excitedly:

"Put her legs on your shoulders and plough her cunt, boy!".

"Taking the advice", Furroh put the Avatar's legs on his shoulders, positioning his cock at the entrance of her pussy. Shortly later, he was balls deep up in Korra, thrusting in and out, trying to stifle his grunts of pleasure out of human decency, his hands automatically groping her round and desirable tits, fingers playing with the dark and sensitive nipples. Now that the boy was busy raping Korra, it was my cue to have some fun with his sister. Gradually, I grasped Simel by her long, dark ponytail, pulling her standing up; next, I thrust my hands inside her shirt and pants, yanking her bra away, kissing her to muffle her pained utterance, my tongue invading and violating her mouth, left hand roughly grabbing and squeezing her milky breasts, right hand going past her panties, middle-finger fucking her wetting pussy real hard.

When I finished kissing the girl, Furroh was still fucking the Avatar lustfully, totally consumed by sexual desire. That was when Hank spoke again, pants down, hand on his anaconda, masturbating furiously:

"Shove your tongue in her mouth, Furroh! Taste the bitch's saliva!".

The teenage boy complied, kissing the knocked-out young Avatar hungrily, thrusting ever harder and faster. Three minutes later, I was bored with finger fucking Simel's vagina, so I turned my attention to her anus, right hand moving to her ass, savagely pushing my middle finger inside her most private hole, not thrusting but swirling around, intending to cause her great discomfort. However, as I'd inwardly predicted, the whore ground and gyrated against my finger, wanting more of the action, her will having been broken a long time before. Horny, yet still calm, I spoke lowly in her ear:

"Kiss your Mistress, little slut".

And she obeyed, kissing me, ravenously sucking on my tongue like it was a dick. After a long while, I and Simel broke the kiss, me returning my gaze towards Furroh, seeing him still fucking Korra, now at his highest speed. But not for long, as he was now grunting and groaning loudly. _He's going to cum any second now._ And he did, indeed, about five seconds later, shouting aloud, emptying his balls into Korra's cunt. When all was said and done, he shrugged her legs off his shoulders, letting them lie at either side of his hips, crashing down upon her, breathing raggedly and loudly.

Deciding to abandon Simel, I pushed her down on the floor, grinning at Hank as if saying "She's all yours now", strolling forwards in the direction of the "bed", discarding my catsuit and morphing into a sexy Bloodrayne... with a big penis. One of my favorite morphs. _Time to have the real fun!_

*Rape scene ends*

...

Korra's p.o.v.

 _Where am I? Why is it so dark all around?_ After the attack of that bright, green light, I thought I was dead. Nevertheless, late later, I existed again. But there was darkness everywhere! I couldn't see anything! I panicked. Then, there was a light ahead; not green, just... light. I was drawn towards it, beginning to move- No, to float, more like! Yes, I began to float towards it, approaching it. And then... I found myself inside a courtroom full of people, me floating in the air. After looking around for a little while, I saw someone in an Air Nomad outfit sitting behind a cuffed person. That was when I heard a voice speaking next to me, startling the spirit out of me!

"Welcome, Avatar Korra, to the past".

Upon turning to the speaker, I involuntarily gave out a loud gasp, seeing that he, no, it, was a huge, green, disgustingly corpulent monster, its flesh rotting and there were open sores that weep foul rivulets of pus all across its body; there were also ropes of intestines dribble out of huge tears in its enormous, bloated and distended belly. Also, its inordinately big, bulbous head and shoulders were crowned by enormous saber-tooth moose lion-like antlers. Fortunately for me, I couldn't smell anything facing this foul creature, judging from its nightmarish presence.

"Who... are you? How do you know my name? Why am I transparent? And why am I here?", I confronted it, trying not to give way to fear.

"I am the Great Unclean One, young Avatar, and that, is all you need to know about me", the creature spoke, its voice guttural and thunderous, "as to how I know your name and why you are transparent; you have your beloved to thank for you being well-known, his presence here in the World of Benders has attracted great attention from all corners of every reality; and you are in your spirit form right now, though this is NOT the Spirit World, in case you're wondering; this is, like I said, the past. And why are you here? To know about what happened".

Before I could bombard it with more questions, all of a sudden, I was turned away, eyes focusing on what was occurring down in the courtroom, unable to control my entire body! That was when I saw and heard someone from the... judge's bench? Someone was yelling in pain. _Chief Sokka?_ Next, I saw a Chief of Polic- _Wait a minute, is that Toph?_ Toph tried to metalbend her cables, but she, too, yelled in pain. The airbender struggled to move closer to the criminal. _Who is he? And why is his bloodbending... so powerful?_ Then, my body suddenly relaxed; but the room seemed like it was melting away!

"What is happening?!", I shouted out loud in dismay.

"Time for us to move on to the next scene, Avatar Korra. You just had your first clue", the creature directed me.

And there was that light, that bright, green light again! Once more, my existence was drowned out, leaving nothing left behind.

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

I saw her screaming my name. I saw her pulled away by two monstrous creatures, one male and the other female. I ran after her, shouting her name. I had no power, none whatsoever. Next, out of the blue, the ground became muddy, slowing me down, then causing me to fall flat on my stomach, on the ground, while she was dragged away faster and faster, her frightened voice getting harder and harder to hear. And then she was gone. Hurriedly trying to stand up, I instantly faced Agrigula, who silently backhanding me with his huge left hand, catapulting me away into the night, crying out in despair, waking up straight away, breathing heavily, all sweaty.

When I calmed down a little bit, I noticed that it was dawning. Turning towards my girlfriend, I intended to tell her about my dream, only to find out that she was not sleeping next to me anymore! Panicked, I rapidly scanned the whole island for her presence, and she was nowhere to be found! Double-panicked, I ran out of her room, shouting her name out loud like a maniac, waking up the entire Women's Dormitory in the process. But I just didn't care. Korra was missing and I was worried out of my mind! Back at the scanning, I hadn't "seen" Azara either, so I decided to go tell Tenzin right away.

Once I was outside the councilman's room, before I could knock on the doors, they were opened by none other than Tenzin himself, also looking worried. Upon seeing one another, we spoke at the same time:

"Korra is missing!".

Then, realizing what we'd just said, we said in unison again:

"How did you know?"

I immediately facepalmed, telling Tenzin to speak first, and his answer was that he'd received a call from City Hall. Something'd happened there. Following that, I told him that when I'd woken up earlier, Korra was not sleeping next to me, earning a look of disapproval from the councilman. Quickly, I explained that I and Korra didn't get naked, noticing his wife and his kids standing a bit far behind him, listening to our conversation. Embarrassed, I started walking away, suggesting Tenzin that we'd better go to City Hall and see what was going on there.

Later, as we were inside City Hall, me feeling much calmer at that moment thank to traveling on Oogi's back for quite a time, we were astonished to see that the chamber was badly damaged. There was a bola wrapping around a pillar, an electric glove on the floor. Up right, the corridor railings missed a big piece, and the wall opposite it had a big hole too. _Looks like the result of some fierce fight between the Equalists and... Korra? But why would she come to City Hall without waking me up? Something's not right here._ Up ahead, Tarrlok was sitting on one of the steps leading to the council table, having his arm wound healed by a male healer.

"What happened?", Tenzin inquired Tarrlok, "what was Korra doing at City Hall?".

"As I told Chief Saikhan", the weasel stood up as he rolled down his sleeve, "Korra came to my office late last night. She was upset that I arrested her friends. She asked me to release them and... that's when the Equalists attacked". _How fuckin' convenient._ "I tried to protect Korra". _You? Don't make me laugh._ "But we were outnumbered. Then, I was electroshocked. "When I came to, the police had arrived. But Korra was gone". _No, I don't believe you. Something else must have happened._ Tenzin sighed regretfully. "I'm so sorry". _Quote Zuko:"No, you're not"._ Tarrlok bowed and turned to Saikhan, directing him. "Chief Saikhan, mobilize the entire police force. We have to find the Avatar".

Once I and Tenzin was outside City Hall, I spoke:

"I don't trust Tarrlok, his story is too convenient. Korra confronting him about Asami and the brothers getting arrested only to be kidnapped by the Equalists? Even a three-year-old is able to tell that something fishy is going on here".

"I suppose you're right. But we can't question him because of his political power". The councilman stroked his beard.

"No, we can't. But I can find Korra on my own".

"I don't think you should interfere with police busi-". Tenzin tried to reason with me.

I smiled. "Did you forget, Tenzin? I can use my mind to scan a location for something/someone I wanna find. It's time for me to push that ability to the limit".

The councilman was fascinated. "And you'll do that back on Air Temple Island?".

"No, Tenzin". I smiled again. "Four Elements will do. I think it's also the time for me to reconsider a suggestion that Azara gave me".

...

Korra's p.o.v.

Just like before, I came into existence again. This time, I was standing in a Republic City's street, with the green creature staying next to me. To my right, there was same airbender who was inside that courtroom. Next, I saw a small squad of metalbending cops led by Toph walking towards the airbender.

"What are you doing here, Aang?", Toph spoke, mildly annoyed. Aang? Aang? This... cute airbending guy is Aang? "I told you, I have this under control".

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't get involved, but if what those victims said is true, we're not dealing with a normal criminal". _Yeah, no kidding; a criminal, and a bloodbender at that, is not normal at all._

Toph smiled. "Fine. Follow me, Twinkle Toes". _Twinkle Toes?_

"Toph, I'm forty years old. You think you could stop with the nicknames?".

Toph walked away, still smiling. " 'Fraid not". Aang grimaced in annoyance and followed.

I turned to the creature, looking at it as if asking "Should we follow them?", to which it simply pointed straight ahead. As we followed the group of people to their destination, I realized that they were headed to a luxurious restaurant named Kwong's Cuisine. Once we were inside, the group was approaching a man, the same criminal in the courtroom, who was eating.

"It's over! You're under arrest, Yakone!", Toph announced, pointing at him.

"What is Republic City coming to?", he spoke calmly, "Used to be, a man could enjoy his lunch in peace". Toph bent a cable from a spool at her belt around his wrist and yanks him forward, knocking over his table. _Spirits, she's so badass!_ A cop came to tie his arms behind him. "What's the big idea?".

"We have dozens of witnesses, Yakone. We know what you are", Aang declared.

Toph gestured to the guards. "Take him away".

As the man named Yakone was being led away, he yelled back to Aang and Toph:"I've beaten every trumped-up charge you yahoos have brought against me! And I'll beat this one, too".

After that, the insides of the restaurant began to melt, just like City Hall. I turned to the creature.

"I finally is able to see Aang!", I spoke to it excitedly, "but what does all this mean?".

"You'll know soon enough, Avatar Korra. This is the second clue", it replied composedly.

And then darkness reigned again. However, I was not drowned out of existence by the weird, green light, like before; instead, I was suddenly floating now. And then, darkness yielded to light, as the courtroom appeared again. Someone was talking.

"Yakone has ruled Republic City's criminal empire for years. Yet he has always managed to stay out of the law's reach, until now. You will hear testimony, from dozens of his victims, and they will tell you, Yakone has maintained his grip on the underworld by using an ability that has been illegal for decades". She turned to the council, where Chief Sokka was sitting. "Bloodbending".

Next, it was a man sitting next to Yakone's turn to speak:"The prosecution's entire case is built upon the make-believe notion that my client is able to bloodbend at will, at any time on any day. I remind the council that bloodbending is an incredibly rare skill and it can only be performed during a full moon. Yet, the witnesses will claim that my client used bloodbending at every other time except during a full moon. It would be a mockery of justice to convict a man of a crime that is impossible to commit".

Then, the council was to listen to various testimonies from the victims. After a while, they halted the courtroom's activities for discussion. When they came back from deliberations, a good period of fifteen minutes later, they took their seats.

"Councilman Sokka will now deliver the verdict", another person announced.

"In my years, I have encountered people born with rare and special bending abilities. Why, I once bested a man with my trusty boomerang who was able to firebend with his mind". _Wow, that's true?_ He looked at Toph. "Why, even metalbending was considered impossible for all of history until our esteemed Chief of Police, Toph Beifong, singlehandedly developed the skill. The overwhelming amount of testimony and evidence has convinced this council that Yakone is one of these special benders and he exploited his ability to commit these heinous crimes. We find Yakone guilty of all charges and sentence him to life in prison".

Chief Sokka pounded his gavel to seal the decision. The man next to Yakone crumpled up a paper, threw it away, and slammed his fist on the table in annoyance. He looked towards Yakone as he slowly stood up. That was when Chief Sokka cried out in pain as his body is contorted and after a moment, the other councilpersons cried out as well. _Bastard!_ Toph was briefly shocked, trying to stop Yakone by metalbending her cables at him. Nonetheless, she was incapacitated immediately. Yakone laughed as he turned and saw the entire room under his control. Aang struggled as he reached out his hand to Yakone.

 _Now I understand. I understand! Tarrlok is Yakone's son! They both are able to bloodbend without a full moon!_

As if it could read my thought, the creature directed me as the courtroom melted again:

"Yes, you are right. I'm glad you subsequently understood after I showed you the third and final clue".

"So... what are we gonna do now that I know about Tarrlok's true origin?", I asked the creature.

"Not 'we', but 'you', Avatar Korra. Yet I'll tell you something, you need to escape your current predicament first".

Before I could inquire it what that meant, that infernal green light appeared again! _Now I really hate that disgusting thing._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After my return to the Four Elements hotel, meeting Tanna and Anyu, with the latter both happy to see me and worried out of her mind about Bolin at the same time, once again offering them to come to Air Temple Island before the war broke out, with them responding that they'd think about it, after trying hard to push my scanning ability to the limit, and succeeding a little bit, covering from Republic City's port and the arena to Republic City Park, not finding Korra anywhere, and after getting a call from Tenzin to meet him at City Hall again ( with him telling me about his little adventure into an underground Equalist prison with Lin, Asami and the brothers, me surprised and very excited ), I left my old room, riding the elevator down to the ground floor, checking out at the counter, telling Anyu to come with me to City Hall while saying goodbye to Tanna, giving her a warm hug.

Once I and Anyu arrived at the building by tram, we entered it, with my female companion shouting excitedly upon seeing Bolin, them both rushing to embrace each other passionately. Once they were done, Bolin approached me and gave me a tight hug.

"I miss you, bro", he said.

"I miss you too, Bolin". I chuckled, returning his hug.

Next, I came to greet Mako, Asami, Lin and Tenzin just as they were arguing with Tarrlok.

"But there were no chi blockers here last night". Tenzin pointed at the weasel. _I knew it! I was right all along._ "You planted the evidence, didn't you?".

"That is a ridiculous accusation!", Tarrlok countered angrily.

At that moment, I detected a presence behind a pillar on the balcony above. "It's true! He took her! I was here when Avatar Korra arrived last night, but Councilman Tarrlok ordered me to leave. I was on my way out when I saw Tarrlok bring her down to the garage". It was the council page!

Tarrlok was enraged now. "That is nonsense! Everyone knows you're nothing but a squeaky-voiced liar!".

Lin folded her arms and looked at the page. "Why did you wait until now to 'fess up?".

"I was terrified to tell because... Because Tarrlok is a bloodbender!". _What?_ "He bloodbent Avatar Korra!".

"You're dead, motherfucker!", I roared, furious.

As I felt Tarrlok bloodbent me, I reached out to him psychically and controlled his body. It was as if we were bloodbending one another! Surprised by my power, Tarrlok gritted his teeth, willing himself to increase his grip on me; however, I was too furious to even feel his bloodbending, beginning to outmatch him. That was when I heard several loud gasps behind me, distracted, allowing Tarrlok to bloodbend me to the ground. Next, I heard that hated, familiar voice, Agrigula's voice, speaking:

"Time for you to run, little man".

Then, I heard his heavy footsteps on the chamber's floor.

"This is a perfect opportunity to subdue you and bring you to the All-Lord", taunted the Lord-Patriarch of the Legion of War, "but I won't, for we both know we crave war. And it's coming, Father. It's coming".

Soon after that, I was knocked out cold immediately.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	24. Chapter 21

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language, a smut scene and two tormented rape scenes , really welcome. I don't own the songs Fatal If Swallowed by Overkill and Evil Dead by Death. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXI - To The Extremes and Beyond**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

There was darkness. Just darkness all around. And silence. Silence reigned everything. I don't know how long I was out, but the oblivion of senses seemed like an eternity. It was like... being blind, deaf, dumb and numb in space. Couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't speak and couldn't fee- _Ow!_

"Wake up!", someone shouted at my face after slapping it pretty hard.

Immediately, my eyes shot wide open, seeing Lin Beifong looking closely at me, me being a bit confused. Upon seeing that I was finally back to reality, she said:

"Finally. I was afraid I had to use that disgusting mouth-to-mouth method".

"Wouldn't mind though, Chief". I smiled at her gently, causing her to blush, but she quickly gave me another slap across the face, lightly this time. Next, she offered me her hand, pulling me up. _Damn, this woman is strong. I wonder what it'd be like having sex with her._

As I was on my feet, looking around slowly, getting my bearings, I saw Mako help Asami up while Bolin woke up and shook his head.

He looked around the chamber. "Ughh! Man! I had this awful dream that Korra was taken by this evil bloodbender. _Oh, Bolin, I wish it was an awful dream too. Korra..._ Mako and Asami looked at him. "So weird".

Asami directed him:"Bolin, that really happened. His accomplice knocked us out".

"That accomplice is one of my arch-enemies, Asami". I turned to her. "I'm sure you've seen him before, back inside the arena".

Asami was mortified. "You mean... that monster of a man in that red Equalist suit?".

I nodded. "Yep, that's him".

Bolin was shocked. "And where is he? Where is Tarrlok? Are they here right now?".

"Tarrlok and his accomplice are long gone. I'll alert the whole force", Saikhan spoke. Then, he and the council members left.

"We've only been out for a little while. Maybe we can still pick up Tarrlok's trail", Lin suggested.

And talk about picking up that fucker's trail, I suddenly felt frustrated and angry. "I can't believe this. I let that bastard kidnap Korra! And worse still, if I was just a bit more powerful, I could've overpower him before Agrigula arrived!".

Tenzin put a hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault, Saudorn. And no one is perfect in the beginning. If we hurry, we will be able to save Korra".

I nodded again, towards Tenzin this time. "Then, let us go".

And then we all ran out of the building.

...

Tarrlok's hideout, somewhere in the mountains surrounding Republic City.

Sojana's p.o.v.

*Smut scene begins*

Furroh grunted aloud for the umpteenth time as he cummed for the third time, with my dick, or my morphing dick, balls deep in his anus, his cock still buried deep inside Korra's pussy. That was pathetic. I didn't even cum yet. Though I just cummed an hour ago. _Still, the boy deserves some sweet words, I guess._

"Isn't this nice, Furroh? You are so lucky, you know that? Popping the Avatar's cherry while getting sodomized by your Mistress. Who'd be luckier than that?".

"Please... Mistress... No more... No more...", he panted, sore from my anal assault.

"Aw, don't be such a pussy boy. You know you want this". Gripping his shoulders, I pressed my crotch hard against his ass, gyrating slowly, feeling his anal walls clamping down on my meat pole ever-so-tightly, evoking an involuntary groan of lust from the teenage boy.

After that, I leaned forwards, pressing my breasts against his bare back, making him sigh in pleasure; next, I whispered in his ear:"If you want out so much, kiss the Avatar again, gather as much of her saliva in your mouth as possible, then kiss me. And then, you'll have time to tend your "wound" ".

Weakly obeying me, Furroh proceeded to kiss the Avatar, trying to get as much of Korra's saliva in his mouth as possible, whimpering quietly as my cock throbbed, slightly expanding his walls a little bit. Two minutes later, he turned his face towards mine, obediently waiting for my move. Chuckling amusedly and satisfiedly, I grasped his hair to keep him still, then, I moved to kiss him forcefully, greedily wanting both his and the Avatar's saliva in my mouth, moaning lustily.

Shortly after, I retreated from his mouth. Following that, ever-so-slowly, I pulled my cock out from his anus, causing him to groan and sigh aloud, half relieved, half disappointed. Next, I grabbed his neck, pushing him off the "bed", not at all caring for his well-being. Then, I moved to straddle the young, unconscious Avatar's face, my dick resting directly on her face. I got shiver running up my spine as I felt Korra's breath against my meat pole. Calmly, I firmly grabbed her lower jaw and pulled it down, making her mouth open wide; next, I moved one of my balls into her mouth, pushing the jaw back up, sighing merrily, feeling it encompassed by the warmth inside the girl's oral hole.

After that, I turned my attention to Hank and Simel, delighted to see my "partner in crime" also balls-deep inside Furroh's sister, who was still on all fours, him fucking her fast and hard like the obedient whore she was. Satisfied about how things turned out, I returned my attention to Korra, was pulling my ball out of her mouth, intending to put the other one in, and interestingly enough, feeling her moaned lightly, her unintentionally sucking my ball, drawing a sharp gasp out of me. Suddenly, I had an idea, a brilliant idea. _Let's see how love treats you when you feel... betrayed._ Quickly, I morphed into Saudorn, smiling wickedly, laughing inwardly, finishing pulling the ball out, then placing the head of my/Saudorn's cock at her lips instead, playing Overkill's Fatal If Swallowed in my head.

 _Lust is the fire which warms you in the night!_

 _Scorching the edge of your soul!_

 _I am desire, your eyes are filled with light!_

 _Pleasing the master - your goal!_

 _Like a fly to a spider, against my web, you fight!_

 _My poison dousing your flame!_

 _Call on the liar, to fill the hole with light!_

 _Your feelings - went as I came!_

 _Fatal if swallowed, my love's too much to hold!_

 _A deadly poison, a hot and heavy load!_

 _Fatal if swallowed, a love you can't resist!_

 _Another believer, is sealed, with a kiss!_

 _Animal attraction, the numbing of your flesh!_

 _No reason to let this action wait!_

 _The physical convulsions, the quiver of your lips!_

 _Open up, ah! , take the bait!_

 _You taste it, revolting, wishing you were dead!_

 _The effect - you'll never grow old!_

 _Oozing slime, foaming at the mouth!_

 _So dizzy, the poison takes its toll!_

 _Fatal if swallowed, my love's too much to hold!_

 _A deadly poison, a hot and heavy load!_

 _Fatal if swallowed, a love you can't resist!_

 _Another believer, is sealed, with a kiss!_

 _No protection! Forced injection!_

 _Feel the bite! Feel the sting!_

 _No detection! Slow infection!_

 _Now you know - what good lovin' brings!_

 _Are you a believer, or are you just a corpse?_

 _A worm-eaten mass of disgust!_

 _Yeah, I'm a deceiver, the reaper, a letch!_

 _The reason you're driven by lust!_

 _But you're not the first, and you won't be the last!_

 _I lead, others will follow!_

 _No mercy, forgiveness, no begging for reprieve!_

 _My venom - fatal if swallowed!_

 _Fatal if swallowed, my love's too much to hold!_

 _A deadly poison, a hot and heavy load!_

 _Fatal if swallowed, a love you can't resist!_

 _Another believer, is sealed, with a kiss!_

 _Ooh, with a kiss!_

 _Fatal - kiss this!_

 _Open up wide, I'm comin' inside!_

...

Korra's p.o.v.

It felt weird. After being "wiped away" by that strange, green light, there was nothing to feel; then, it felt weird. It felt like I had something big and round in my mouth. Big, round, and soft and hard at the same time. It also tasted and smelled funny too. After that, that big and round thing disappeared from my mouth; and then, I felt something else press against my lips. _What the-_

*Tormented rape scene begins*

Slowly, I woke up; and when I came to... I saw a penis right in front of my face! _What in Spirits' name?_ Following that, I heard a familiar voice addressing me:

"Hello, Korra".

 _Sau- Saudorn?_

Fleetly, I looked up and I was so surprised and confused to see his abs, his body, then his face. Before I could say "What in damnation is going on, Saudorn?", he grasped my hair and forced his dick deep in my mouth! And the next thing I knew, I was constantly and aggressively assaulted by both his cock and crotch, violating my mouth, throat and face! Immediately, I tried to push him off me, but I couldn't, realizing that my hands were somehow tied tightly to the... _What is this soft, wet and sticky thing I am lying upon?_ Shortly after, I tried and successfully moved my legs; however, it was useless, because, apparently, I was under an intense and despicable sexual attack ( that much I knew because Pema told me about rape when I'd turned 15 two years back, back at the compound, in the spirit of educating me a bit about how the world works. You could say I grasped everything fairly. Nonetheless, I had not known how it really was. Then I knew ) that rendered me completely defenseless. Yet I didn't give up that easily. I tried and tried and tried and tried to fight. No matter how futile the situation was to me, I had to keep fighting.

Nevertheless, it was a losing effort, for the persistent barrage of defacing was too much for me to handle. Gradually, I began to feel fainted. Notwithstanding, I was mercifully spared from the blackness that was approaching, only to get choked by Saudorn's length invading my throat, as he pulled my face against his crotch by my hair. That was when I realized I was staring fiercely up at him while he was looking tauntingly down at me. Subsequently, he shoved my face very closely to his crotch, intending to suffocate me, perhaps until I passed out. But that was not his intention at all... It was much crueler than that: Right at the threshold of unconsciousness, yet again, my face was pulled away from his crotch, and his cock retreated from my throat ( but it was still in my mouth ). And then, the big member was plunged back into my throat, my face meeting his crotch once again; and he just kept doing that to me 'til I tried to beg him to stop, with only incoherent sounds coming out from my dick-stuffed mouth, saliva dripping freely through its corners.

"Your mouth feels amazing, Korra. But I want something else from you". He grinned down at me.

With that, he pulled his cock out of my mouth, wet, heavily covered with my saliva. As soon as the thing that I'd previously been happy to suck off exited my mouth, I turned away, not wanting to look at him anymore. That was when some kind of foul smell assaulted my nose, making me almost vomit! I gagged, suddenly noticed a man having sex with a teenager a bit away from- _Spirits, is this intestine? And my Goodness, is it... pulsing?_ Rapidly turning away from the sight, I endeavored not to throw up, only to see Saudorn's dick hover very closely in front of my face. Instantly angry, I glared up at my boyfriend. _Ho- how could you?_

"Go ahead, sweetie, bite it. I love some rough action", he taunted me.

Then, out of nowhere I felt sad, just sad. "Why?", I whispered in a small voice, still recovering from the mouth-assault moments before.

"Why?". He arched an eyebrow. "Korra, my dear, have you ever thought about how amazing your mouth makes one feel? Countless others and I always dreamed about that little mouth of yours. And baby, you just fuckin' delivered!". He laughed out loud.

"You... bastard".

Out of the blue, a hand grabbed my throat and squeezed it, while Saudorn moved his crotch away from my face, slightly letting his weight rest on me, me feeling my nipples ( _Oh, Spirits, I'm naked_ ) brush his chest. Next, he whispered in my ear:

"That's good, Korra, be defiant. Because without struggling, it wouldn't be fun at all. Now I want to return the favor, as you've made me feel so good".

Without warning, I felt something thrust into my vagina, causing it to be sorer than I'd felt earlier, during the crotch suffocation, gasping in shock and surprise. At that moment, I realized that he'd just put one finger or two in my throbbing vagina. Next, he retreated, then thrust forwards again, showing no mercy, no remorse whatsoever. After that, the hand that choked me left my throat, and came to rest on my right breast, squeezing it and pinning my nipple roughly, evoking a moan of pain from me. Gritting my teeth, attempting to hold my tears back, failing miserably, I intended to use my right leg and foot to kick him in the stomach; however, his left hand caught my leg. Afterwards, he licked along it, from the knee to my foot, sucking and licking my big toe enthusiastically, both disgusting and arousing me at the same time, while still violating me with his fingers. ( he just added another of his fingers in my vagina )

The more he did all that, suddenly the more aroused I felt. _No. No. What's happening to me?_ Couldn't stand the humiliation anymore, I looked away again, ignoring the smell, seeing and hearing the man and female teenager having sex harder and faster. Shortly later, the man pulled on the teen's hair, groaning aloud as she did the same, apparently finally reaching their climax. Following that, the teen's limbs gave way and she dropped down on the floor, while the man still knelt behind her, him looking at me now, smiling ever-so-creepily. Instantaneously, I heard Saudorn whispered in my ear again:

"Isn't he magnificent, Korra? Thin but not so thin, huh? Think you can handle him?".

"What- I-". I was aghast at my boyfriend's suggestion.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not going to let him put his dick inside you. You're mine. Nevertheless, I can't deny him your mouth".

 _No, no, please, not him. Not him._

As I turned my head to "keep an eye on" the man, I saw that he was approaching me. With my heart beginning to beat frantically in my chest, I pleaded with Saudorn:

"Please, Saudorn, don't let him stay near me. If you want to, put your thing in my mouth again, make me choke with it, just don't let him stay near me. Please, I beg-".

Before I could finish my sentence, Saudorn's lips crashed against mine. Thinking he changed his mind, I kissed him back passionately, relieved that my boyfriend was such an understanding individual. Then, I heard the cracking of bones and tearing of flesh. As Saudorn broke the kiss, he lightly gripped my chin and pushed my face upwards. _No, Spirits, no..._ Not letting me react to the terrible thing to come, Saudorn forced my lower jaw open, and that was all the other man needed. His cock invaded my mouth right away, him holding my wrists to prevent me from bending at him.

Also, at that time, I felt Saudorn's fingers retreat from my vagina, only to have something else replace them. It was his dick. I wanted to scream aloud, feeling so betrayed and used, but all that came out of my mouth was just muffled sounds. My face was being hammered by Agrigula's subordinate, the creepy thin man. And unlike Saudorn, he didn't plan to suffocate me with his member and crotch; he just wanted to deface me... 'til I blacked out.

*Tormented rape scene ends*

...

I blacked out. There was darkness. Just darkness. Then, there was light! And then, I saw Aang... being bloodbent by Yakone, who was grinning in relish at his own power. Next, I saw Chief Sokka's pained face, then Toph's, as Yakone made her grab a ring of keys from a cop's belt and float over to him. He forced Toph to unlock his cuffs, which bounced to the ground. He flexed his wrists, and raised his hands to bloodbend everyone into unconsciousness. He turned to see that Aang was still awake and levitated him high into the air.

Aang struggled with difficulty, speaking:"Yakone". Yakone bloodbent his arms behind his back. "You won't get away with this!"

"Republic City's mine, Avatar. I'll be back one day to claim it".

Yakone bloodbent Aang into the steps of the dais, knocking him out, before running outside. He leapt into a cart pulled by an ostrich horse and dashed off. Meanwhile, Aang regained consciousness as his eyes and tattoos glowed briefly. He burst out of City Hall on a big air ball and quickly caught up with Yakone, who looked up and gasped. Aang sent a blade of air to sever the ostrich horse's harness from the cart, which flipped onto its side and slided to a halt. _Wow, that's awesome!_ Aang coasted in front of the cart and waited for a moment. Yakone burst out of the side door and bloodbent him to the ground.

"This time I'm gonna put you to sleep for good!", the criminal spatted, really aggravated.

Aang groaned in pain as Yakone levitated him into the air and began to contort his body to painful and near death positions. _Bastard!_ Suddenly, his eyes and tattoos glowed once again ( _the Avatar State!_ ) and the bloodbending immediately had no effect on him. He earthbent a cone of rock around Yakone's body, immobilizing him completely, and placed his thumbs on Yakone's forehead and chest as he struggled.

"I'm taking away your bending, for good", Aang stated. Yakone groaned as Aang's tattoos and eyes lit up as he... energybent Yakone to remove his waterbending! When Aang's tattoos stopped glowing, he stepped back and Yakone slumped down. "It's over".

 _Thanks, Aang, for confirming what that big, fat, green monster showed me. Thank you._

After all that, everything faded away. And then, I was slowly awake, detecting some weird taste in my mouth. _Spirits._ The taste, combined with the foul smell, finally made me turn my head and vomit, violently. When I finished vomiting, I saw that the female teen was joined by a male teen, either her boyfriend or brother, both were still naked, hugging each other miserably. That was when a voice took my attention away from them.

"Finally awake, eh? Good. Because I really want to try this with you", Saudorn spoke.

*Tormented rape scene begins*

Subsequently, I felt something push against... my rectum! _No, not there! Not there!_

"Saudorn, stop! Don't do it! Not there!", I shouted at my boyfriend, terrified.

"I took your oral and viginal virginity. Now I'm gonna take your anal one, to complete my unholy trinity". He grinned at me.

"No, you bastard! I'll kill you for this! I swear I will!". I struggled mightily as fear was mounting in me, realizing that my wrists were still held tight by Creepy Thin Man.

And then it began. I screamed out loud, in pain, as Saudorn's cock invaded my anus, steadily and unrelentingly. The deeper he went in me, the more painful I felt. He was... so big... Tears started streaming down from the corners of my eyes. _Why? Why? Why?_ When he stopped, I felt like I was going to be split in half. _Oh, Spirits..._ After that, he clamped his hand on my mouth, retreated, only to be back inside me. The pain was too much. My vision blurred by tears. Four or five times later, he removed his hand from my mouth, both arms holding my legs. Next, he proceeded to thrust mercilessly in and out of me, causing me to scream out loud again and again and again.

While Saudorn despoiled me, the other man stooped down and sucked at my breasts, back and forth, back and forth, licking, biting, and pulling at my nipples using his teeth, hard and pitilessly. Next, he shoved his cock into my mouth once again; this time, he just kept it lodged in my mouth and throat, his balls pressing against my nose, making me feel disgusted and cheap. However, to my horror, I felt aroused at the same time! _No. No. What is happening to me? Why- why am I feeling this way?_ As time went by, there were more thrusting, more abusing of the breasts, more cock lodging in my throat. I felt detached and empty. But I also felt more aroused and pleasurable than ever. I was surrendering. I was letting go. I no longer struggled.

I heard Saudorn grunt and moan in ecstasy, still thrusting in and out of my anus, me no longer feeling the pain there anymore. Suddenly, Saudorn groaned aloud and I felt gushes of warm liquid inside my most intimate hole. And then I had an orgasm... And then I blacked out, one more time. But before that, I heard Tarrlok's loud voice somewhere here. Tarrlok, son of Yakone.

*Tormented rape scene ends*

...

Azara's p.o.v.

I was headed towards Tarrlok's hideout after being told by High Astropath Eng Vah-Leng, that the Avatar of the World of Benders was in danger, leaving another important meeting, returning to my human form, to rescue Saudorn's love. I didn't know what was happening, but I'd detected three malevolent presences, two inside Tarrlok's cabin, and one approaching the place, on my way there. Sojana, Hank and Agrigula themselves. _That can't be good._ Once I was at the vicinity of the cabin, the three presences were all inside the building. Before I could hatch a plan to penetrate the place and get Korra out of there, I heard sound of a truck's engine from afar, approaching the building.

When the truck stopped in front of the cabin, the people inside stepped out, revealing to me that they were Equalists, led by none other than Amon himself. _Interesting._ After signaling his subordinates, Amon entered the cabin, his goons following suit. After that, I stealthily got in there also, coming after them closely, but not too closely. Two minutes later, Amon and his goons stopped. And I heard Tarrlok gasped out his brother's false name. Then, Amon spoke:

"It is time for you to be equalized".

The Lieutenant and other Equalists behind him all took fighting stances.

"You fool! You've never faced bending like mine".

Tarrlok began bloodbending the group. The other Equalists all crumpled and fell to the ground, but Amon was unaffected, and with minor struggle, began to walk forwards. Tarrlok gasped again and redoubled his efforts. Amon was halted for a moment, but with a very great effort he moved one foot forwards and continued to walk normally. Tarrlok started backing up in horror.

He whispered in surprise:"What- What are you?".

"I am the solution", the leader of the Equalist replied.

Amon reached out and grabbed Tarrlok's arm, twisting him around until he is standing behind him. He jabbed his right hand at the base of Tarrlok's neck, who groaned at that, and moved his left hand towards his forehead as Tarrlok watched in horror. After screaming aloud, Tarrlok was unconscious. Next, Amon instructed his subordinates:

"I'll take care of him. You four retrieve the Avatar".

 _My cue to act._

As Amon lifted Tarrlok's limp body onto his shoulders, turning around, intending to go back outside, I dropped down to the floor from the ceiling, as light as a cat. Amon was surprised.

"Who are you?".

Immediately using my fourth ability, I transformed myself into my version of... She-Rulk, ripping the fabric of my shirt to pieces, showing my strong, beautiful and attractive red skin and thick muscles, roaring my most favorite song title, playing it in my mind.

"Eviiiiiiiil - DEAAAAADDDDD!".

 _Trapped inside a life which is not yours!_

 _Spirits within causing terror, fear and darkness!_

 _Evil - dead!_

 _Evil - dead!_

 _Voice speaks out, all will die tonight!_

 _Insanity fills your mind, you hear them calling!_

 _Evil - dead!_

 _Evil - dead!_

 _Covered in blood, all hope is lost!_

 _Forever to rot, controlled by the powers of the-_

 _Evil - dead!_

 _Evil - dead!_

Amon's eyes went wide as I rushed at him at incredible speed, knocking him and Tarrlok flying down the basement's stairs with my shoulder. Next, I rushed through the basement door's threshold, wall-jumping, catapulting myself down to where Korra was, knocking Hank flying towards a wall, grabbing Sojana, in Saudorn's form, by the throat and throwing her away, turning around to catch Agrigula's swordfish-blade in time, uppercutting him so hard he was catapulted up through the ground floor, through the roof and away.

Then, I turned to the Equalists, slowly approaching them in a threatening manner. All four of them, including the Lieutenant, fleetly backed off and frantically hauled ass outta there. _Attaboys._ Shortly after that, I turned to Korra, who was unconscious at the moment, putting my arms under her, noticing blood around the vicinity of her thighs. Deciding to take a look at it, I traced the blood to its source: Her vagina and anus. _Sojana, that despicable bitch._ Gently, I carried her up on my arms and walked out of that infernal place. Following that, I jumped forwards, high in the air, heading towards Republic City. About four minutes later, when I landed on the ground after three or four jumps, I detected Naga running towards me, clearly having seen me land a distance away. Coming near the polar bear-dog, I scratched her head.

"I'm sorry you were so worried about Korra. But she's going to be fine".

Next, I put Korra on the animal's back, returning to my human form, mounting the polar bear-dog and guiding her back to the city. After a while, we were speeding through the city, street after street, me ignoring people staring at my naked upper body. About five minutes later, I saw a flying bison in the sky. Naga saw them too, howling aloud, alerting them, stopping her running. When Oogi landed near "my" mount, Saudorn quickly jumped off it and rushed towards Naga.

"Azara? Wh- why are you naked? Why are you on Naga? And... what happened to Korra?", he bombarded me with questions.

"Later, Saudorn, she needs medical attention right away. Get her to the hospital, now", I spoke.

He nodded, using his powers to levitate Korra from Naga, floating onto his arms. Right after, he formed a carpet of microorganisms and moved away very fast, me, Tenzin, Lin Beifong, the brothers and Asami, all keeping our eyes on him 'til he was too far away to see.

 _The Avatar is hurt, both physically and emotionally; Saudorn, no doubt, will be distraught; and the war is coming. We need every ally available immediately... and a lot of luck._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	25. Important Update!

**Update: Hello everybody! I have an important announcement to make. Three days ago, I bought a new laptop, an HP with Win 10. I know there are many complaints about Win 10 and I personally was put through MicrosHELL these past three days. Therefore my writing process was disrupted greatly. However, now that I have my own laptop, I am free to write at night, meaning I can actually post any date I want, not being restricted to Wesnesdays only anymore. With that said, the next chapter will be delivered to you guys right in this week. Thank you for reading and following my debut story, I really appreciate that.**

 **P.S. : I hope you don't find my grammar today horrible and annoying. The reason why it happens is because of Win 10 bleeding grey materials from my brain, which is already in need of grey materials to even begin with. See ya soon! :D**


	26. Chapter 22

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language, very good for the eyes. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXII - Slave of Fear, and Anger**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

I was appalled. Truly dismayed and appalled when I'd heard one of the nurses examining my girlfriend utter, shocked, a "Spirits, she was raped". Everything that happened next was a blur of me shouting with rage at the nurse, demanding her to let me know what in damnation was going on, me being forced outside the hospital, and me arguing with Lin, Tenzin and Azara, the latter telling me what'd happened to Korra, making me ( and Lin as well ) almost have another ( a ) fit. ( she also discreetly signaled me to communicate with her psychically, revealing to me that Sojana shapeshifted, turning into me to rape and mess with Korra )

After all that, I felt too tired to do anything, so I sat down on one of the great stairsteps leading to the hospital's entrance and reflected on what Azara had told me about Korra's predicament ( and for how long I couldn't even remember ). _Fuckin'- Motherfuckin' hell, I can't believe this shit. That- that Sojana cunt... I can't believe she sank so fuckin' low. I'm so sorry, Korra, I should have known. I should have known that that bitch would do something like this to you. Ohhh fuckin'-_

"Are you feeling okay?". A voice next to me startled me back to reality.

"Oh, Asami, you startle me". I sighed out loud, rubbing the bridge of my nose wearily, "and did you mean my mental being or me being very concerned about Korra right now?".

After sitting down next to me, Asami replied awkwardly:"Uhm... Both?".

"Well, then, I'm calm now. Or may I say "tired as shit". But I'm still concerned about Korra. Fuckin'- scumy bitch".

When I turned my head to look at Asami, she was wincing so hard she made me feel quite guilty about what I'd just said. I sighed aloud again.

"Sorry about that. I just... You know how much I love Korra. And this just made me hate Sojana even more", I spoke.

"Of course I do". Asami quickly put her hand on my shoulder. "I mean I would definitely act like you if I...", she trailed off, realizing what she was trying to say, looking away, probably to hide her embarrassment.

That caused me to chuckle a bit. I still couldn't forget the Korrasami stuff, even at that time. ( and I wonder if she'd act like me, or a bit more aggressively, or a little less ragingly ) Hearing me chuckle, Asami turned to me and punched me half seriously, half jokingly to the arm, causing both of us to laugh and relax a little bit.

After that, she curiously asked me about Sojana: Who she was, what she was doing here and how long ago I met her. Seven minutes of explaining later, Asami looked "I see", yet was somehow still confused. I didn't blame her for that. I would be confused, too, if I was told that somebody else's ex died in an invasion caused by their own creations from their book, then she was resurrected to make them suffer emotionally, and then she became one of their archenemies' "ally", name changed, hellbent on harming their new girlfriend out of either jealousy or obsession or both, plus a little craziness. ( okay, a LOT of craziness )

Before Asami could ask me another question, Bolin was there to tell me that the doctor supervising the rape examination wanted to talk to me, Lin and Tenzin. Sighing aloud, I stood up slowly, closing my eyes for a moment; next, I offered Asami my hand, looking at one of my favorite LOK characters blushing, her shortly after putting her hand on my palm, and me pulling her up, her almost colliding with me, blushing furiously now. When we turned to Bolin, he tried to look casual, whistling awkwardly, failing miserably. Right after that, we went inside the building, heading for the emergency department, right on the ground floor.

There, I saw Lin, Tenzin, Azara ( who'd made herself decent before entering the hospital ), Mako and a person in a white coat, the doctor ( NOT the Doctor ), all standing outside the emergency chamber. Upon seeing me, the doctor signaled for me, Lin and Tenzin to follow him into a small room nearby. Once inside, I realized that it was his office.

"Please, sit down everyone", the doctor spoke amicably, motioning to the chairs in front of his desk after sitting down on his first.

After the three of us did just that, not wasting a second, I hurled questions at him immediately:"Doctor, how is Korra now? Is she okay? Was it... serious- I mean I know it's serious, but is her condition-".

"Relax, Mr...".

"Saudorn, Saudorn Zalear".

"Mr... Zalear, your, uhm, girlfriend's physical condition is non-life-threatening". He signaled for me to hold on before I could ask him about chance of pregnancy. "And there is certainly no chance of pregnancy, so you don't have to worry about that". He halted. "However, speaking about her mental and emotional condition, I'm afraid, like most cases of rape, there'll be a lot to do. As Councilman Tenzin has explained to me, that, her parents are not here in Republic City, and that you are considered the closest person she has to family; therefore, you have to be there for her. You have to help ensure that her recovery will NOT be impeded. The key words are 'reassuring', 'empathetic' and 'nonjudgmental'. You have to show her understanding and general support, including being silent, listening to her only".

"Now onto more imporant things. First of all, panic attacks; remind her of where she is. Ask her to sit down and place her feet on the floor. Describe her surroundings to her, and ask her to do the same. Then, tell her to take a deep breath. Second of all, flashbacks; remember that during flashbacks, she is often actually reliving the abuse or assault. Be cautious in your actions, and get to know her and what she needs before you do anything at all. After that, tell her that you know it feels real to her, but it is not really happening; turn a soft light on; get to know her triggers as well as you can; encourage her to take slow, gentle breaths, tell her she's remembering, point out the fact that the abuser is not present. Remember that she may not be able to respond to you, but often is aware of your voice. Consider placing your hand on her hand or arm, but not on the stomach, thigh, and so on; this may trigger her further, but may also remind her of where she is. Inform her of the importance of flashbacks. They are an opportunity to learn and understand. They are often seen as an indication that the person is ready to remember; that the body has information to share. Many people are very frustrated by lack of memory; flashbacks can validate a victim's experience. But most important of all, you have to help yourself help her; it's natural to feel the following and more: Helplessness, guilt, frustration, overprotection and anger. To help calm her, first, you have to calm yourself. Don't press her to talk about it, you'll trigger her further. If she wants to discuss what just happened, be open to that, while at the same time being aware that many of the emotions she felt during the rape or abuse may be present now. Also, I heard about what happened with Nurse Talin. You didn't rough her up, but you scared the spirit out of her. That won't do in the Avatar- I mean, your girlfriend's case. Do you understand what I'm saying?".

"I do. And believe me, I love her, and I'm always there for her whether she needs me or not". I nodded. _Nonetheless, your mind will explode if you know about what my ex did to Korra. I can be supportive, alright. But it'll be one hell of a battle of convincing her it was not me who raped her._

"Good. Very good, Mr. Zalear. The Avatar is very fortunate to have you as her boyfriend. People like you are, uh, very rare".

"Believe me, Doctor", Lin spoke, her tone slightly sarcastic, for the first time after the dialogue between me and the doctor, "he's one of a kind". _Aww, thanks, Lin, you warm my heart with such wit._

"I have no doubt upon seeing Mr. Zalear's attitude just now, but coming from you, Chief Beifong, I have a deep respect for the Avatar's guardian for sure", the doctor turned to Lin and responded, completely oblivious to the Chief of Police's sarcasm.

"And talk about the Avatar", began Tenzin, "how long do you think she'll have to stay here?".

The doctor was thoughtful for a moment, then, he replied:"Her, uhm, anal orifice was assaulted badly and the damage was very serious. There were linear abrasions in the anal canal and we could see blue discoloration caused by bruising of the anal verge or the entrance to the anal canal... But she is fine now. She just needs to rest. So, I think it's best for her to stay in the hospital for three days".

Tenzin stroked his beard. "I see". He turned to me. "Do you have any question for the doctor?".

I shook my head, then hesitantly nodded a little. "I know what I'm supposed to do. But... is she awake yet?".

"She is still unconscious, Mr. Zalear. Yet I'm sure she will awake eventually. You can go see her right now if you want to". The doctor smiled reassuringly at me.

"Very well, then, Lin is going to open an investigation on Tarrlok based on what she's gathered from Azara. And as a Councilman, I must accompany her. So... you stay here with Korra and her friends. I also called Pema and the kids, and they're on their way, thus the chamber will be a bit... crowded. I hope you understand, as the kids see her as their big sister", Tenzin informed me.

"I understand, Tenzin. And as a matter of fact, I think you guys are a big family, always being there for each other. I may be Korra's boyfriend, and the closest person she has to family, but you guys are her spiritual family. Therefore, physical and spiritual families must come first. I'm willing to let Pema and the kids spend time with her as much as they want".

Tenzin gasped. "You'll... do that?".

I beamed him a smile. "Definitely".

Suddenly, I was embraced by Korra's mentor. "You have no idea how much it means to me, Saudorn", he said after moving away from the hug, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I grinned. "You're right, I have no idea; but I knew you'd appreciate it all the same".

Having finished my sentence, I turned to the doctor. "Thank you, Doctor, for everything you and the nurses have done for Korra. If you see Nurse Talin again, tell her I'm terribly sorry about scaring her. I didn't mean to do that, never".

The doctor smiled amicably again. "I know you didn't, Mr. Zalear. And, of course, I'll tell her. It's an honor to help the Avatar and her boyfriend in any way I can".

Once the doctor stood up, I, Tenzin and Lin shook hands with him, then all three of us turned and were headed for the door. As I was about to cross the door's threshold, the doctor suddenly asked me:

"I know it's none of my business, but who could commit such a horrendous crime on the Avatar? I know Amon is a criminal but if this is another one of his doings...".

"Amon? Amon is nothing, doctor. And you have no idea".

...

Two minutes later, after telling Azara, the brothers and Asami to leave me alone with Korra until Pema and the kids arrived, I entered the emergency chamber, a typical room, sparse and functional, its walls were simply creamy white, with no decoration whatsoever save the curtain that separated my girlfriend's bed from the three others. The curtain looked once very green, to remind people of Spring, rebirth and hope; however, it had faded so much that the hue was bland, tedious and miserable. The chamber had an undertone of bleach and the floor was grey. _Charming._ But thankfully, Korra's bed was unlike any other; it was a fully-electric one, made to comfort patients and to reduce bed sores. Not that the other patients' beds were not electric, but they were only semi-electric ones, which would require, each, a motor to control. Korra's had buttons to help the patients operate the bed more easily. And not that my girlfriend's bed was brand-new either; it had endured some years despite the fact that it was kept in a fairly good condition. The doctor realized that Korra was the Avatar so he must have ordered the nurses to replace the bed for her. _How thoughtful._

On the bed lied Korra, whose clothes were switched for a hospital gown, her eyes close, her hands placed on her stomach, connected with each other via intertwining fingers, breathing slowly and peacefully. Her lower half was covered by a thin and blue-with-white-edges blanket. _Oh Korra..._ Upon seeing that there was a chair near Korra's bed, I picked it up, carried it over to the side of the bed and carefully placed it down on the floor so as not to disturb the other patients. Once I sat down, I used both of my hands to gently pry my girlfriend's right hand from her left one and took hold of it, kissing its knuckles and its back affectionately.

"I'm so sorry, Korra", I whispered, "I should have known. I- should have known...".

Even though the doctor advised me to calm myself, I couldn't help feeling so guilty and so angry at both myself and that Sojana bitch at the same time. The more I looked at my girlfriend, the more guilty and ireful I felt. _I swear to all that is good, Korra, I'll find her and make her wish she wasn't resurrected at all. I'll fuckin' make her bleed slowly and painfully!_ And just like that, my mind wandered away, entering endless streams of thoughts, so aggressive and violent, so regretful and woeful, that they could be scenes of Limbo itself if brought to reality by some mystic power. I don't know how long I was immersed in anguish and sorrow, but it all had to end as someone's voice pulled me out of my inner purgatory.

"Saudorn? Saudorn, can you hear me? Are you alright?".

"Huh? Oh. Oh, Pema, kids, you guys are here".

"Yeah, upon hearing that Korra was hurt, we came as soon as possible", Jinora spoke. Then, she added hesitantly:"Is... she alright?".

With great effort, I managed to smile and replied assuringly:"She's fine, Jinora. Our enemies caught her, but she fought valiantly 'til Azara found and rescued her. Luckily for her, she didn't have any serious wound at all".

Upon hearing that, Pema let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Spirits".

After that, it was my turn to be concerned. "Pema, you are pregnant, you're not suited for moving fast or on board fast trans- I mean fast Oogi. Are you okay?".

"Now you're acting like Tenzin". She chuckled slightly. "I'm not hurt or anything".

Following that, to my surprise, she discreetly eye-signaled me to exit the chamber. But before doing just that, she told the kids to stay quiet and she would go get Bolin to look after them. And before I did that too, I linked my consciousness to Korra's to "keep an eye" on her in case she came to and started screaming about me raping me. Once we were out of the chamber, Pema asked Bolin to keep an eye on the kid for her; then, she proceeded to walk towards an empty corner of the corridor, me following suit, looking quite worried. There, she stopped and turned around, her expression slightly serious.

"You can tell me what happened to her now".

"Oh. Uhm... She was, uh...", I stammered.

"It's all right, I'm not holding you responsible for Korra's wellbeing. I know she's old enough to not need a tall, hulking and handsome teensitter".

"Oh. Of course". I chortled sheepishly, then was worried again. "Well, she was, uh...". I breathed deeply. "Pema, she was raped. By one of my enemies".

"My Goodness".

Just like I had been, Pema was appalled and shocked. She had to use her left hand to brace against the wall in order to not faint. Scared shitless, I immediately moved to steady her, seeing that tears were already formed at the corners of her eyes. Gently, I gave her a hug, speaking softly in her ear:

"I'm sorry, Pema. I'm so sorry".

The true nature of the news was sad and depressing. If Pema was someone else, she would have either felt weak or really fainted because of its impact. Nevertheless, after finishing the hug, looking at her in the eyes, I realized that she was not just someone else; she was Pema, wife of Tenzin, mother of the next generation of airbenders. She was strong and resilient. She knew she had to, to be able to support Korra.

"Poor Korra. It is truly the worst thing to happen to a young woman. Even though I am very distressed, I'm also happy and proud to see you by her side. Promise me to never give up on her, Saudorn. She may be brash, but she's a good girl; and a good girl deserves a good boyfriend".

"Never. I will never give up on her. I love her so much to chicken out now", I replied pretty fiercely.

"Good". Pema smiled lightly, yet warmly. "We should go back to the room right away. She needs us now more than ever.".

"Actually, I need to talk to Azara. You go ahead and join the kids. I'm willing to sacrifice my time with Korra just so you, the kids and her friends can be near her as much as possible".

...

After being refused to join her and the kids for the second time, Tenzin's wife returned to the emergency chamber. But before doing that, she took hold of my hands and squeezed them lightly while giving me a reassuring smile. Once both of us were back at the chamber, Pema proceeded to enter it; me, I approached Mako and Asami to tell them to tell Bolin to get out so that they were able to be at Korra's side without crowding the room. Next, I told Azara I needed to talk to her, and it'd be best to go outside.

When we were al fresco, I created a microorganism carpet, let Azara step on it, then took off, guiding it towards Air Temple Island. As soon as the "carpet" was halted way above the temple, I turned to my female mentor.

"Now you need to tell me what the hell truly happened to Korra. How the hell is Sojana able to shapeshift? And why didn't you tell me sooner?". I gave her a deadly stare.

She sighed, making the time barrier, like she'd done before, around the carpet. "I wish I could. Not because of some convenient inconvenience, but because I- No, we had a lot to deal with. The war has reached its highest and most tense point ever since its beginning and escalation. I should have told you sooner, true, but I thought because I'd already told you that shapeshifting is a trait of the Legion of The Damned, and Sojana was... Well, she used to be its Lord-Matriarch, so shapeshifting is definitely in her blood".

I cut her off quickly. "Wait- wait a minute, you said she "used to be" the Legion of The Damned's Lord-Matriarch. "Used to be". So, couldn't her shapeshifting ability... be gone or something?".

"It doesn't work like that, Saudorn, and you know it". Azara shook her head. "The title "Lord-Pa/Matriarch" is not something like "the Guardian". The Guardian is more than just a title; it's a privilege, and a sacrifice. It goes hand-in-hand with the Supreme Energy. Without the Energy, the Guardian is only a being with a simple and noble title, that's all. But not in the case of Sojana. Clearly, she was originally chosen by Zulathulhu as one of his Commanders; therefore, he had "bestowed" upon her the ability to shapeshift. How, we don't know, yet; nonetheless, we know that Zulathulhu is not a trickster, he's straightforward, and blunt and direct. He doesn't fuck around. Meaning, if he sees Sojana as an important asset, she'll be an important asset forever".

Upon hearing all that, I muttered a "Shit" under my breath, exhaling loudly. Then, I began:"And Sojana used that ability to rape my girlfriend...".

"A part of Zulathulhu's plan or not, it's a devastating move, and it's going to work in their favor. We can't let that happen. Also, for the sake of love, we need to fix it right away".

"And how are we gonna do that?".

Azara was thoughtful for a moment. Shortly after that, she said:"I think it's time to tell you the ultimate truth, and continue the story of the Guardians".

 _The ultimate truth? What the hell does that mean?_

"I am the Guardian. Or to be exact, the 41st Lady-Guardian and the 103rd Guardian. And you are to be my successor".

I was completely stunned. "What?".

"You are a very special individual, Saudorn". Azara smiled warmly. "That's why my father decided to save you from Zulathulhu. You are destined to persevere with your already-disrupted life. You lost everything, but then your love for this world has earned you a second chance. Soon, you will shine as bright as the greatest star of all realities".

"I... don't know what to say".

"Just say 'yes' to the solution to the Avatar accusing you of raping her".

That made me feel skeptical. "What does that have any-".

"It has everything to do with your love and your destiny, Saudorn, trust me". Azara put a hand on my shoulder.

It was my turn to sigh. Korra, even though was an Avatar, was just a naive teenager. She was not mature enough to think before speaking, and she always did a good job of making up her mind. Thus, the post-rape thing was a serious matter; with the war nearing, it needed some drastic measure to get it over with. I'd be damned if I'd let my girlfriend accuse me of rape for the rest of my life. "Alright. Yes, Azara".

My female mentor nodded. "Very good. Your sacrifice won't be in vain".

And that reminded me of what Esillith had said in Republic City Park that night. _If you want the Avatar to trust you completely, you would have to sacrifice yourself at one point._

As Esillith's words stopped echoing in my mind, I spoke hesitantly:"You- you want me to... kill myself?".

"No, you handsome doofus". My female mentor laughed softly. "I want you to let yourself get killed".

The instant she finished her sentence, my jaw hit the carpet again. _She can't be fuckin' serious._

"Now, before you freak out, I'll give you a short explanation, then, let you check to see if Korra's awake or not. When I said I want you to let yourself get killed, I didn't mean it literally, I meant it metaphorically. You are to create a precise copy of your own self and let Agrigula, and no one else, finish the job. Why? Do you remember the fact that it was you who gave him near invulnerability? That "the only solution is to kill him from the inside"? You are his maker; thus, you must be his destructor. All right, that's enough for now; I'm clearing the time barrier in 3... 2... 1".

The second the barrier was cleared, I fleetly checked Korra's consciousness and discovered that she was... awake and screaming now! _Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! This is not good. This is not fuckin' good!_ Trying to remain calm, I directed Azara:

"Time for me to "stand trial", I guess".

But before we "flew" back to the hospital, I glared at Azara. "Once we calm Korra down, I want every single detail of your "master plan", you understand me?".

She nodded solemnly. And with that, we were headed away.

...

As I and Azara arrived at the emergency chamber, we saw Mako, Asami, the doctor, and a couple of nurses, including Nurse Talin, try to restraint a thrashing and screaming Korra, who was blabbering about me raping her, calling me a no-good bastard. Then, upon seeing me standing at the chamber's threshold, the young Avatar's eyes widened in fear and anger, pointing at me and shouting. And I froze. I intended to calm her down, but as soon as I looked at her pointing finger, I just froze. My mind stopped working, me staring at her, confused, not knowing what to do.

Shortly after that, Korra suddenly bent a jet of fire from her mouth, aiming right at me. I still didn't move. Next, I saw someone stand in front of me; it was Azara, her freezing the fire by, perhaps, using her time manipulation. Following that, she turned around and pulled me aside, her stepping aside too. After warning the people outside to stay clear, she snapped her fingers, letting the bending flame hit the wall opposite the chamber, scorching it a bit. Once I turned my attention back to my girlfriend's bed, I saw a nurse inject her with what could be sedative. Soon, the substance took effect. Korra's eyes became heavy, her speech slurred, her reflexes slowed down. And then she was asleep. Everyone, except me and Azara, sighed a long sigh in relief.

Not letting people disrupt the nurses' duty, the doctor gently but urgently urged "the patient's companions" to exit the room; and he gave me an odd look as well. Not that I blamed him. The moment the doctor, me and everybody else were outside, before he could ask me about the things Korra'd spit out a few minutes earlier, Mako immediately shoved me repeatedly until I was against a wall, demanding to know if the Avatar's accusation was true. "And if it was...", he began, his right hand forming a flaming knife, the tip aiming at my neck, while his left hand grasping the center of my shirt, causing everybody to gasp aloud ( well, maybe except Azara ).

Not wanting the doctor to interfere but kinda too, I held up my hand to stop him from approaching Mako. After that, I spoke to him calmly:

"Can I borrow your office for a while? A proper explanation needs a proper space".

"S- sure, Mr. Zalear, of course you can", he replied with a bit of stammering.

Ignoring Mako was a several seconds, I told Pema, Bolin, Asami to be ready to follow me. Afterwards, I instructed Azara to look after the kids, her nodding somberly. Subsequently, I returned my attention to Mako.

"If you want answers, you should put away the knife", I said simply.

Still glaring at me, Mako forcedly "put out the fire", released his hold from my shirt and stepped away from me. Nonchalantly ( to this day, I still don't know how I was able to act like that ), I, with the rest in tow, walked towards the doctor's office. Once inside, I closed and locked the door, then "invited" some to sit. As Bolin was goofily sitting down, I reminded him to let his brother sit first, him letting out a disappointed "aww". However, before he could do that, Mako put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder and pushed him down, telling him that he preferred to stand, all the while still glaring at me. I shrugged at that. Five seconds later, upon seeing that I had had the attention of every person in the room, I let my explanation roll.

"I know that you guys have a vague idea, or don't have at all". I gave the doctor a brief look. "About the Equalists' activities. But I'm sure that most of you have known, for a fact, that Amon has help from, shall we say, his "allies", via the Arena Incident. Yet for the sake of sanity, I won't tell you all about their true, more significant nature. What you need to know right now is the truth that one of them... Well, one of them has the ability to shapeshift. One of them knows me very well and has the ability to shapeshift. Meani-".

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!", Bolin exclaimed, " 'shapeshift'? You mean, like, become another per-".

I cut him off plainly. "I was getting to that, Bolin".

"Oh, right". he scratched his head. "Sorry".

"Meaning", I repeated, "one of them turned into me and raped Korra, framing me in the process".

Asami gasped loudly. "That's... that's horrible!".

I turned to her. "More than horrible, Asami. It's inconceivable".

As soon as I finished my sentence, the doctor coughed slightly to gain my attention. "As much as I want to believe you, Mr. Zalear, I think it's hard to see that such a thing-".

"Is possible? Well, a certain someone also doubted Toph's ability to metalbend too. And people doubted Amon's Bending Eliminator as well. These, Doctor, are two crucial facts of life, of this world. I suggest you to be more open-minded".

Mako snorted. "Even if it's true, how do we know you're not concocting another lie? After all, you have lied to Korra, and to us, before. Furthermore, do we even know who this "one of them" is?".

"And why would I do that, Mako? You can't possibly still think I'm an agent of Amon. Do you? Anyway, some of you already knew who she is".

"I'm just being open-minded".

"No, you're not. You're being paranoid and confused is all. Deep down, you know I'm on Korra's side".

"Hmph". Mako snorted again.

Right after that, the room was silent. Everyone didn't know what else to say.

Shortly later, Pema suddenly spoke, smiling at me warmly:"I'm with Saudorn. I don't think he's one of Amon's henchmen. And I don't think shapeshifting is impossible either".

"Me too". Asami nodded.

"And me!", Bolin exclaimed again, putting his hand up, grinning like an adorable idiot.

When I turned to the doctor again, he just shrugged. I turned towards Mako, raising an eyebrow at him. After a few more seconds, he lifted his arms up in the air dramatically and grumbled aloud.

"Oh, fine! I give up". Then, he pointed his finger at me. "But don't think you're off the hook, Saudorn. You're guilty until proven innocent".

I smiled amusedly. "Fine by me. I have nothing to hide". _Well, maybe a couple of newly obtained information._

"So you mean you'll have no problem telling Chief Beifong and Councilman Tenzin about the shapeshifting thing?", the doctor inquired me all of a sudden.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Knowing Lin, I'm not going to risk my neck being broken, even though she's still not a friend of the Avatar yet".

"So no telling Lin and Tenzin, then", Bolin, pretending to be serious, concluded with a "mature" voice.

"Yep, no telling". I nodded. "But I'm afraid Korra needs more than just telling".

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	27. Chapter 23

**Note: Hello, everybody. Sorry for the long wait. Last week was shit and it hindered my writing process. Then, this week, my left shoulder aches badly. So... now you can read *awkward grin* . Anyway, this chapter contains coarse language, brief mention of drug and detailed, fucked up domestic things. I don't own the song Perennial Quest by Death. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXIII - Slave of Fear, and Anger, and Hate**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

The Hospital, Day 1, early in the morning

Korra's p.o.v.

I ran. I was afraid, so I ran away, from _him_. I was angry too, but fear was in absolute control. So I ran. I was lost in a forest; I'd never been here before, yet I was in this place all the same. I kept on running. My feet hurt, I felt cold, then there were wild, small branches lashing at my skin. I looked down, surprised to see myself naked! _Spirits, I am completely naked!_

That was all the distraction I 'needed', because I stumbled over a tree root. Quickly, I bent the earth, making it soft enough to not let myself get bruised. As I began to stand up, I suddenly felt sore at that place, the place I thought only I or my mother had access to, so I sat down in a way that didn't affect my soreness. I had never heard about such thing like having sex... via one's anus. My mother, and even Pema, who was willing to teach me about "adult stuff" more than anyone, had never mentioned it; therefore, I had no idea it existed, to the fullest extent. Only now I knew. It was... it was unthinkable. So hideous and disgusting that the thought of it was going to make me throw up.

Nevertheless, what was more hideous and disgusting was the fact that _he_ did it. I just didn't understand. Why? I-I loved him! I truly did! Maybe he was still angry because of me rejecting him during the tournament? Or maybe he was indignant because I'd treated him coldly after he revealed to me everything about himself? I guess I was such a pain in the neck, but- But I didn't deserve it! I didn't deserve to be treated the way I'd been! How could he? While thinking of all this, my right hand subconsciously rested on my right buttcheek, caressing it lightly, me wishing the soreness would just go away, cursing Saudorn for what'd happened. At the same time, I was starting to calm down a little.

 _I can't believe this. Last time I was with him, I was so in love with him, and a bit guilty after sneaking out of the room, departing from the island without letting him know that I was still awake, that I was going to find my own answer from Tarrlok. Now all I'm gonna have and reserve for him is fear, anger, and hate. Especially hate._

That was when I heard an eerily familiar voice directing me.

"Ah, there you are, Korra. I've been looking for you. You made me worried sick! I thought I'd lost you forever".

I looked up upon hearing the voice, both appalled and wrathful in that instant, seeing him grinning down at me. Shocked, because of how fast he found me; wrathful, because of the violation, my violation. Having made up my mind, I sprang up, intending to give him a jumping, spinning flaming backfist, aiming at his smug face. However, as infuriating as it was, he caught my backfist as easily as turning a hand. Before I knew it, his lips crashed against mine, his tongue forced its way into my mouth, his other hand grabbed the back of my neck, holding it firmly. Next, he let go of my right wrist, but not before using his powers to bind both of my wrists by attaching some kind of cuffs around them, keeping my arms from moving. After that, I felt him grasp me by the hips, lifting me up, guiding my legs around his waist, using the same kind of cuffs to bind my ankles together. And then, one of his hands grabbed my right boob, the other supported my weight by taking hold of... my butt! _No, not there!_

Panicked, I struggled, trying to free myself from his torment. I even considered biting his tongue to distract him long enough to escape. Nonetheless, his kissing was so... so... so good! I hated him. I hated him so much, but his kisses also felt so good! All of a sudden, I felt something probe the opening of my butthole. I froze. It was one of his fingers. _No..._ Following that, the finger was abruptly rammed into my second hole, causing me intense pain, making me gasp into his mouth. Afterwards, he began to thrust it in and out of my hole with no sympathy, no mercy whatsoever. The pain increased and increased and increased and increased. _Damn him!_

It all was just too much. I screamed. I screamed aloud. And then I was sitting up, awake.

"It's alright, Korra. It's alright. You're safe now. No one can harm you here".

Blinking, disoriented, I turned towards the source of the voice; the familiar, warm and feminine voice.

"Pema?", I uttered hoarsely.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me. You are all right, Korra. Don't be afraid". She touched my left arm soothingly.

"Whe- where am I?", I inquired her softly, still disoriented. All I saw was only whiteness.

"You don't remember? The first time you woke up, last night, you asked the same question, and I told you that you were in the hospital. And you still are", she said gently.

 _Last night? So it's morning already?_ "Honestly, I don't think I can remember much-". I rubbed my face slowly with both of my hands. Then, out of nowhere, an image flashed before my eyes. It was _him_ , standing just a dozen footsteps from my bed, his big frame nearly filled the threshold's space.

I gasped. All of a sudden, visions of what'd happened to me came back: Him kneeling between my legs, the pain, arms pinned down, someone else... someone else defacing me. "He was here, wasn't he? Last night, he was going to hurt me again! He didn't hurt me enough, he wanted m-", I panicked.

Pema immediately gripped my upper arms, not so tightly but firmly, and spoke:"Korra, listen to me, breathe deeply and put your feet on the floor. Then, describe this room".

I was going to protest, however, knowing that Pema only wanted what was best for me, I complied. Deep breath, feet on the floor, description of the room, and I started calming down. Next, she continued:

"Very good, Korra. I know you're terrified, but it's not him. If you give him a chance to explain, you'll see".

And now all the negativity rushed back to me. I stared at Tenzin's wife, wide-eyed with disturbance and choler. "You can't be serious, Pema", I began to shout again, "he hurt me, for Spirits' sake! Why are you defending him?".

"I am not defending him, you know that", she replied kindly yet sadly.

Upon realizing what I had just said, I covered my mouth. "I- I'm sorry, Pema. I didn't mean to- Please, forgive me".

She smiled gently again. "I know you didn't mean that, Korra. You were only confused is all". Following that, she sighed. "Well, I see that you are not ready to face the truth just yet. Therefore, I'll give you time. In the meantime, do you want to talk with the kids?".

I brightened at that. "The kids are here too?".

"And Mako and Bolin and Asami. Nonetheless, I think you should take it slow, honey".

I nodded, silently agreeing with the other woman. Pema nodded back then gradually stood up and walked out of the chamber. Fleetly, I took the time to compose myself, waving away the images of _him_ from my mind. _Pema was right. I need to take this slowly. I'm not sure if I'm ready to trust him again, but he's not here now, at least I hope so. So, I guess time will tell._

Just as I finished my stream of thoughts, the chamber's doors were open and in walked the kids. Jinora, Ikki and Meelo, all three looking so worried, so concerned. _Spirits, their looks are breaking my heart._

Upon seeing me awake, sitting on the bed, the kids heartwarmingly exclaimed my name, rushing towards me and giving me a joyous, tight hug. Ikki even burst into tears of happiness, repeatedly telling me of how she missed me so much, of how it hurt her to see me unconscious in the hospital, even if it was not my fault. Or was it? Was it my fault, trusting _him_ only to get myself harmed? Was I the one who made a mistake here? As the kids asked me what'd happened, I fell deeper and deeper into self-doubt.

 _I made a mistake. I certainly made a mistake. A horrible mistake. And I paid the price: My own... my own virginity. An Avatar... without virginity, not that she did it willingly, but she was forced and violated! An Avatar. The Avatar! How can I live to be the Avatar now? Who- who would trust th- the violated Avatar? I couldn't master airbending as the Avatar, now I am even defiled! This is an embarrassment. No, this is a disgrace! How am I supposed to explain myself to Mom and Dad? How am I supposed to be the same Avatar in the eyes of my people, the Southern Water Tribe? How am I even... pure in the eyes of my sister tribe, the Northern Water Tribe? I am useless. I am worthless. How can I bring balance to the world when I have to carry this shame of mine? How-_

"Korra, are you alright?"

"Korra, what happened?".

"Korra. Korra!".

Voices pulled me out of my self-made, dark visions. Through blurry eyes ( because of tears. I was crying, subconsciously ), I saw that the brothers and Asami had joined the kids. As I used the back of my right hand to wipe the tears away, I noticed that Asami had just put down a hot bowl of noodles, with a pair of chopsticks on it, on the nightstand to the left of my bed, steam rising from its surface, carrying its delicious smell all over the chamber, making me feel pretty hungry. The smell also gave voice to other people from the other side of the green curtain, who I didn't even know they were there.

"Hi, guys", I said and smiled weakly. "I- I'm fine, I was just a bit tired is all", I lied.

"Are you sure?", Mako inquired me, looking concerned.

"Yes, Mako, I'm sure. Thanks for caring". I tried my best to smile warmly at him.

Then, I turned to Asami. "That smells good. Can I eat that?".

"Of course, Korra. This is for you after all". Asami nodded amicably. "Yet, you have to brush your teeth first. Sorry".

"It's alright, Asami. I understand". I stood up, and Asami helped me walk towards the bathroom.

When I came back to the best, Bolin spoke heartily, holding a bowl of noodles and chopsticks, his mouth half-full of the food:

"You probably won't believe me, Korra, but Asami made the noodles. So delicious. Man, is she talented!".

Once Asami placed the bowl and chopsticks on my hands, blushing prettily, I replied:"Right now, I will believe anything just not to be famished ever again!", feeling much better now that I was among my friends, my _trusted_ friends, again.

And then we all just talked about stuff, me being glad that everyone didn't ask more about the horrible event the day before. I think Pema told them not to mention it in order for me to emotionally recuperate properly. Shortly after, a doctor entered the room, greeted me, asked me how I was and asked to allow a nurse to examine my... bruises, which confused the kids greatly, because they said they didn't see any bruise on me. Quickly, to prevent the situation from becoming too uncomfortable, Asami and Bolin persuaded the kids to leave the room to ensure that my privacy was not disturbed. As for Mako, before exiting, he gave me a small salute and smiled reassuringly at me, warming my heart tremendously.

After that, the nurse routinely began the examination, with the doctor soothing me with his words, telling me to endure "this little procedure of inconvenience". A few minutes later, when the nurse finished examining me, before talking to me again, the doctor ordered the other nurses, who'd been waiting outside, to sedate the other patients. It was to what end, I didn't know. Following that, he thanked me for my cooperation ( truthfully accompanied by a little bit of frustration ), and advised me to give my body and mind more rest. He also advised me not to blame myself for what'd happened, and to be calm to avoid helplessness, guilt and anger. He said that he knew about my "special" case, so he didn't expect me to be completely calm.

"However, Avatar Korra, please try your best to not throw a tantrum like you did last night. You have scared the other patients, and you could have hindered their recovery progress, as well as your own. Now, I don't mean it as a criticism; nonetheless, as a doctor, and for your and others' betterment, I just want you to be aware of your own action. And finally, don't despair, Avatar Korra; you have friends and family here who love you and support you and are ready to protect you. You just have to give them a chance. For love is the best medicine a patient could ever ask for", he directed me.

After me feignedly telling him I understood what he said and thanking him, the doctor and the nurses turned around and were going to exit the room. Before they could do that, I called after him, having remembered something:

"Doctor?".

"Yes, Avatar Korra?".

"Since last night, is he... is he still around?", I inquired him with hope shining in my eyes.

"Who? Oh, you mean your b- I mean, him? He stayed with you from 10:00 p.m. when the Lady Councilman, her kids and Lady Azara went home, to 6:00 a.m. this morning, exactly, leaving an hour before you woke up". When the doctor saw the expression of fear on my face, he added straightaway. "And I assured you that he didn't do anything to you. There, uh, there were two, uh, security guards inside the chamber keeping an eye on him. 24/7 too. Right, Nurses?".

Upon hearing the doctor mention them, the nurses hastily nodded in agreement with him, mumbling phrases like "Yes, Doctor", "Right, Doctor" and so on. Then, they all left the room. And I didn't know what to think about all that. Nevertheless, I felt a chill run down my spine as the thought of _him_ sitting next to me all night, while I was unconscious, plagued my mind. _That's just creepy. Creepy and disturbing._

I fleetly shook my head to dismiss the second chill as Pema, the kids and my friends entered the chamber once again. Also, Pema brought good news, or that was what she said: Tenzin and Lin were on their way to the hospital from the Police Headquarters aftering hearing the news of me being awake from her. I wonder whether Tenzin and Lin knew of him being my violator or not. If not, I know exactly what Lin would react to this piece of information. _Yeah, just what I really need._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

The night before, after proposing Pema and the kids to go home because it was getting late, and after convincing a nurse, who told me that visiting hour was over, to trust me as Korra's guardian, I tried to stay up all night to keep an eye out for my girlfriend, all worried and anxious, also concerned and sad. Worried and anxious because I was not sure if Sojana would try to harm the young Avatar again or not, but better safe than sorry, as they always say; concerned and sad because the more I looked at my girlfriend's sleeping form, the more I realized that I could always do nothing for my other halves. Sojana, or Helena/Sonja, I could do nothing for her because her mental disorder had rooted so deep in her mind and her soul. So deep, and discovered too late. But I knew how it happened.

Helena was a lovely child when she was a kid. However, her family was not. Her father was a bully and a pedophile; her mother was a desperate junkie; and her sister... was a whore. When she was five, everything was perfect, her family was just as nice as the Barzettis, the old Italian couple who lived opposite from her house. When she was eight, everything changed: Her parents fought each other a lot, her 16-year-old sister's, Paige, belly was getting bigger ( now don't jump to conclusions just because I said Helena's father was a pedophile, that comes later ), and Helena herself got ridiculed oftentimes in school. She didn't know what happened at that time, but much later ( well into her late teen ) found out that her sister's boyfriend, or his sophomore brother, knocked her up. Her father didn't like that, not at all. So, he went to Paige's boyfriend's house and proceeded to beat the shit out of him and his brother, and probably their father as well, threatening if they called the police, they all would be dead. As for her mother, after a few fights, receiving verbal assault and then some, left to stay at her childhood friend's house, a fuckin' methhouse. I don't know how it happened, but when she exited that place, she was a methbrain; and her downfall to being extremely hooked/fucked up had just begun.

While her mother was away, Helena was alone in the house, with her father and her sister. And one night, she was awoken from sleep by some strange noises coming from outside of her room. Curious, she went to investigate, discovering that the noises came from her sister's room. Once she was at the door, slightly left ajar; through the crack, she saw... her father's naked buttocks, him moving back and forth, and grunting. She also heard her sister moaning and groaning aloud. Confused, yet even more curious, she stayed and watched until her father and sister gave out a loud moan altogether. Then, for the next few nights, Helena heard the same noises, came to watch and returned to her room. Sometimes, she heard the sounds from somewhere else, specifically from her parents' room; and when she came to watch, she saw them in different positions. And sometimes, she saw her sister sit in their father's lap, both of them, of course, naked, watching pictures of young girls from eight to eighteen, naked too, on his computer.

After that, Helena decided to enter her parents' room, having skipped school one day, to look for those pictures. And then, that night, to her disappointment, her father told her that her sister was having a sleepover at her's best friend's house, which meant, there'd no more activities that night. She was wrong. Late later that night, Helena was woken from sleep by her father, who clamped his hand over her mouth. And that was when her life changed, forever. From that point on, Helena both hated and loved her father at the same time. Hated, because he hurt her; loved, because when she asked him about the pictures, he showed her a whole new world. Soon enough, her father came to her room often, usually after spending time with her sister. And when Paige found out, she was jealous. She was always jealous of Helena. And so she was resolved to act as someone consumed by jealousy does: Tormenting her with verbal assault. Her rape, plus her becoming-hostile relationship with her sister, equaled a deadly outcome: Her sister's and her unborn child's death in the most gruesome fashion. As soon as her father and her official junkie mother saw Paige's bloody fetus on Helena's hands ( whose imaginary friend, Sonja, repeatedly congratulated her for getting back at her sister ), they was horrified, and he enraged. That night, he let his penis do the talking, without mercy, while his wife was wasted, having been "persuaded" by her husband to "enjoy" herself; nevertheless, Helena enjoyed that, as she always openly did, days later, each time hearing/knowing her father would make sure that her mother stayed wasted all the time.

Consequently, her father grew tired and more fearful of Helena, because the Sonja persona manifested itself more and more often, typically with a psychotic grin. Therefore, another day, after face-pumping Helena and sodomizing her three times ( and after thinking she was exhausted from the extreme sexual activities ), he exited the room to make a phone call to a local mental hospital, planning to let her rot in a padded cell for the rest of her life. Nonetheless, Sonja eavesdropped on Helena's father and quickly came to a conclusion: He had to go. And eighteen stabs on the back before he could give the mental hospital the house address would do.

( Silence )

And what happened next, you might ask. Well, that is for another episode of A Laugh From The Past, thanks for your time. Now, let's get back to the present- I mean present past. As I said, I had the feeling of not being able to do anything for Helena because it happened a long time ago; and at that moment the night before, I felt the same towards Korra, not because what'd happened to her happened a long time before too, but because it happened when I was looking for her together with others, and because it happened to another that I loved deeply. It all made me want to hug her so bad, yet I couldn't do it. I _shouldn't_ do it. Not when she doubted me. So, the only thing I could do was to try to be awake and vigilant. Notwithstanding, I failed and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, or should I say early morning, I woke up at 5:43 a.m. After yawning silently and stretching, I took hold of Korra's left hand, kissing it lightly and looking at her longingly. _I will right this wrong, Korra. I promise. And then, I'll wait. I'll wait 'til you're ready to forgive me and to let me commit. I love you._ Next, I just sat there 'til 5:55 a.m. Then, I gently placed my girlfriend's hand on her stomach, stood up and walked out of the room, trying hard to control my shaking, balled fists. To be able to leave the hospital, I arrived at the reception counter to check out as a visitor, smiling politely at the reception nurse, causing her to blush prettily. Following that, I went outside and was headed home. My new home. _Time to talk redemption with Azara._

...

As soon as I arrived on Air Temple Island, I went in search for Azara immediately, using my powers to locate her; and when I found her inside her room, I quickly asked her how to do what she'd suggested me to do. Chuckling slightly, my female mentor used her left hand to flourish moderately, coating the walls, floor and ceiling with the familiar time barrier. Then, she proceeded to tell me that at the beginning of my acquisition of powers, Esillith had given me the ability to manipulate living beings, including myself ( to some extent ). Therefore, what I needed to do was to boost my self-manipulation to a higher and superior level. To be clearer, instead of enhancing my body cells to withstand enemy attacks, I was to clone myself. Now, I was confused. What the hell did that have anything to do with me sacrificing myself? Of course I remembered Azara saying "You are to create a precise copy of your own self and let Agrigula, and no one else, finish the job. Why? Do you remember the fact that it was you who gave him near invulnerability? That "the only solution is to kill him from the inside"? ", but... I had to sacrifice my own copy/clone?

Upon hearing Azara's suggestion, I was stunned. When I refocused, I demanded her to give me an explanation. Smiling amusedly, she said that this was not like what they did in the movies, creating copies/clones with independent sentience. In contrast, I was to create a puppet clone to do my own biddings.

"Because". Azara's smile faded. "We can't risk you going inside Agrigula and battling whatever disgusting things he made to be his defense mechanism. You could be straight off killed, and we need you".

"And I guess 'we' here means you and... Esillith?", I inquired her.

"And many others", Azara replied with a serious face, "for the succession to the Guardian is not a laughing matter. It is even more important than the succession to the previous Avatar in the World of Benders. Plus, your "death" will certainly change Korra's new opinions about you; so it's two for one".

"I... I don't know. What if she's devastated? What if it affects her physical and mental health?".

"Oh, don't be such a worrier. She's going to be fine. She's a big girl". The smile returned to Azara's lips. "Besides, your "death" may even throw Zulathulhu off his track, giving us a chance to turn the tides against him. I'm not saying Korra is unimportant. What I'm saying is: Her emotional turbulence is but a small cost compared to what we already lost in this war and will be lost if we don't stop it as soon as possible. Think about it, Saudorn: In war, sacrifices are inevitable. Factually, we'll mourn those losses naturally; but not until the war is over. Are you with us- No, scratch that, are you with me on this, Saudorn? Can I count on you? Can I place my trust in you to become my handsome and respectable successor?".

Her last few words made me chuckle. "Handsome and respectable? I think you overpraised me, Azara. But you can count on me all the same, my Lady Guardian".

"Aw, such a lovely boy". My female mentor gently pinched my left cheek and kissed the other one, causing me to blush a little.

Next, she dissolved the time barrier, telling me that it was time for me to... practice with my whipping and powers, again, explaining that the practice of cloning myself, if done during the day, might freak people out; so it was better to do it at night, preferably at midnight. Thus, we went to the airbending training area for another sparring match ( and another, and another, and another, and so on, to be sure ), meeting and saying goodbye to the departing Pema, the kids and Korra's friends, who, in turn, gave me a heartwarming hug upon hearing that I was not to go to the hospital with them, because I "wanted Korra to have more time with her friends and spiritual family", save for Mako, who still pretty much doubted me. And so, nearly a whole day, I trained with Azara, beating her some and getting my ass handed to me some, taking a break now and then for either rest or lunch. Came nightfall, we took a longer break to have dinner and talked about the war and the future of everything. Once everyone had gone to sleep, Azara and I left her room to return to the airbending training area.

There, after Azara raising a bigger time barrier around the training area, we began my cloning practice, with her explicating that in order to speed up the birthing of my new body cells, I had to concentrate greatly, or else I could send wrong command to my body, making it grow, instead of dividing the cells. The key was to hold complete dominion over my own body, self-discipline down to molecular level, like a mighty, perfect, sophisticated and effective fleshy machine. However, the most important part of all, was my imagination and quick mental reflexes, meaning: I must picture myself perfectly, down to the smallest detail, or else people and my enemies would realize that there was something wrong with me ( in this case, the copy ); and when there were more cells in my body than it normally had, I had to eject those extra cells from my body as soon as possible, or else I'd mutate faster than a person after being bitten by a zombie. _A perfect clone, huh? Sounds like fun._

"Nevertheless, don't expect yourself to succeed right away", Azara warned, "you are not Multiple Man from Marvel Universe, so... it will be slow and there will be failure from the start. Just steel your nerve, okay?".

"For mutated copies of me, you mean?". I swallowed.

"Or defects. But, yeah, mutation is definitely worse".

"Joy of creation, am I right?".

"Oh, my father knows all about that". Azara chuckled.

I chuckled back. Then, I concentrated, picturing myself, commanding the cells to go to work immediately, beginning the process of cell division. And I felt it, after what seemed like hours ( about 35 minutes, really ), I felt the rapidness of cell splitting. Fleetly, I started ejecting those cells out of my body, feeling them being extruded... everywhere! Shit, I forgot to direct them to mass up in one place in order to control them more efficiently. And then I panicked. My body looked hideous as fuck, made me want to vomit. Luckily, my female mentor came to the rescue, covering me with a greyish time halo, turning back time around my body. Pretty soon, I was myself again! _Holy shit, that was scary._

"You're okay there, Pupil Zalear?", Azara joked.

"Ha. Ha. Azara", I sarcastically responded, "but I'm okay. Thanks".

She extended her hand to let me grasp it, then pulled me standing up. "That was failure number one, yet not a big one. Again".

Hearing the seriousness from her voice, I complied straight away, spending the rest of the night trying to create Saudorn Number Two, or Saudorn Jr. or whatever. Needless to say, it was harder than I'd thought. It was a freakin' failure compilation. But at least I became less and less panicky, so there was that. As dawn was nearly there, Azara told me to stop and get some sleep. As for Korra, she'd visit her at the visiting hour to see how far she'd progressed. And I didn't have any objection to that, happy that I finally was able to get some sleep; for the practice had worn me the fuck out.

Nonetheless, I still thought of Korra, of my girlfriend, my love, with Death's Perennial Quest playing in my mind.

 _The journey begins with curiosity,_

 _and evolves into soul-felt questions._

 _On the stones that we walk,_

 _and choose to make our path._

 _Sometimes never knowing._

 _Other times knowing too much._

 _Filtering out the bad that holds us back..._

 _Take hold of what is true to your hunger._

 _A hunger that will not go away._

 _Plans for tomorrow, they will remain!_

 _Won't you join me on the perennial quest?_

 _Reaching into the dark, retrieving light!_

 _Search for answers on the perennial quest!_

 _Where dreams are followed, and time is a test!_

 _No time for mental crutches!_

 _The maker has moved on!_

 _I will take it raw and be on my way!_

 _Those that stood beside me,_

 _I'm glad you understand._

 _Behind these written words,_

 _I share the simple plan_

 _to hang on to the way that we feel._

 _From rivers of sorrow_

 _to oceans deep with hope,_

 _I have travelled them._

 _Now, there is no turning back._

 _The limit, the sky._

 _I ask my questions. Why? What today?_

 _When, tomorrow?_

 _Filtering out the bad that holds us back..._

 _Take hold of what is true to your hunger._

 _A hunger that will not go away._

 _Plans for tomorrow, they will remain!_

 _Won't you join me on the perennial quest?_

 _Reaching into the dark, retrieving light!_

 _Search for answers on the perennial quest!_

 _Where dreams are followed, and time is a test!_

 _Wait for me, Korra. Please, wait for me._

...

The Hospital, Day 2, midday.

Korra's p.o.v.

I sighed in frustration as one of Lin officers asked me the same kind of stupid questions for the umpteenth time. They made my headache even worse! However, I was kind of surprised that I hadn't answered Lin's and Tenzin's questions truthfully, the day before. They'd come as fast as they could, upon hearing the news of me being awake from Pema. Then, they bombarded me with questions; questions about what'd happened, about Tarrlok, about Amon, and about his "allies". Spirits, didn't they know that I needed to rest? That I was not ready to tell them everything they wanted to know?

And then, came the surprising part, as Lin asked me if I recognized who'd... raped me ( honestly, that word sounded so alien to me ). After being silent for a full minute, looking down at the thin blanket, trying to keep myself in check, visions of that terrible event playing out before my eyes, I met Lin's gaze and said it like I was so sure of it.

"No, I didn't recognize him".

Next to me, Pema, Mako, Bolin and Asami were stunned. They thought I'd spill it right then and there, telling Tenzin and Lin that it was _him_ who'd raped me, violated me. I was stunned too, when I came to realized it, after answering Lin's last query. And I meant _last_ , because I didn't want to talk about it anymore. Thankfully, Lin relented, letting me know that I was to rest for the day. Once she finished saying that, I couldn't contain it any longer. I cried. Holding my face with my hands, I cried. I cried, and I cried, and I cried, somehow to sleep.

When I woke up, it was night already. And I was hungry. So I turned towards Pema, who was softly humming an Air Nomad song while reading a book, asking her if I could eat the food she'd placed on the nightstand. Too fascinated by the book, Pema was startled upon hearing my voice, prompting me to apologize to her frantically. Notwithstanding, she was not mad, telling me that she'd have to go heat it up first. Before she stood up and carried the tray away, I stopped her and said that cold food was alright, as long as it was edible. And so I had my late dinner.

Once I was done, I and Pema talked a little bit before I went to sleep again. I was still tired as damnation.

When I woke up, it was very bright outside. Next to me, instead of Pema, sat Asami, who asked me if I had a good night sleep. I told her I did. And I truly did, somehow. After that, she helped me reach the the bathroom again. A few minutes later, I was back on the bed, having breakfast while Asami went to call Mako and Bolin and the kids inside, to talk with me. And all was good 'til the police came, asking me questions as of now. Subsequently, Lin's officers decided to leave me alone. _Thank Spirits._ Shortly after that, the doctor and the nurses came again and did what they'd done the day before, him telling me that I was progressing, and if I kept it up, I'd leave the hospital in no time.

Before exiting the room, the doctor smiled and told me that I had three more visitors. I was puzzled. _More visitors? But who could they b- Spirits, I hope it's not Amon, his Lieutenant and some Equalist grunt in disguise; or the monsterman, the creepy thin man and that despicable bitch._ As the doctor and a nurse held the doors open for my new visitors, they entered the room, and I let out a sigh of relief. It was Tanna and Anyu! And Azara. Upon seeing me sitting on the bed, Tanna and Anyu rushed towards me and hugged me so tightly I swear I felt like they were killing me with their love. And so my second day at the hospital became more and more and more bearable, or maybe a little enjoyable.

'Til I was alone with Mako in the afternoon.

"So you didn't tell the Chief about Saudorn", he spoke, his voice hinting a bit of accusation.

"Mako, I don't feel like talking about him". I was displeased with his tone.

"I know, Korra, me too. But if he... raped you, you have to tell her and let her catch him". Mako was insistent.

"Mako, please...".

"I know you're hurt, and might be threatened, but you gotta do it, Korra. You must expose him".

"Mako! Stop it!", I hissed at him.

"No, I won't! Not until you make him suffer!".

"I will when I get out of here. But not now!".

"And in the meantime, you let him walk around, free? He even stays on Air Temple Island, for Spirits' sake!".

"And he's not going anywhere! I'll get him back eventually", I stubbornly responded.

"You are unbelievable, you know that? This is not the Korra I knew. She wouldn't just-".

"GET OUT! Get out of here before I give you my all!".

Angry, Mako let out a frustrated grunt, turned around and walked out, just as Asami and Bolin and Saudorn's girl friends hurried into the chamber to see what was going on. I couldn't do anything. I just stared at his back helplessly, feeling tears running along my cheeks again, teeth gritting, hands gripping the blanket very tensely. _Why didn't I do it? Why didn't I tell Lin about Saudorn? Was I afraid of him? Or was I still in love with him? Maybe I was secretly nourishing the thought of revenge, of getting even with him? Am I comparing him to the Triple Threat Triad now? Or even something lower than that? Spirits, who am I?_

 _Who am I?_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	28. Chapter 24

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language. I don't own the song U-R-B by Tankard . I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXIV - Recovery**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Air Temple Island, late afternoon.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

"Come on, Saudorn, show me your move! I'm getting impatient here!", Anyu shouted gleefully, still shooting ice daggers at me, who was held up in the air by a water spout.

 _Finally, after a while, she uses this trick._

"Right after you stop spamming big-ass, spiky icicles, Anyu! Aaaany time now!". I laughed, throwing a verbal comeback at her, my left hand still holding a great, great, round shield made of microorganisms to fend off the Water Tribe girl's attack.

"Oh, you wimpy baby. Can't even handle a little hail? How did Korra even-".

Before Anyu could finish her sentence, she fleetly dodged one sharp piece of icicle, which'd bounced off my shield straight back towards her, because it was unintentionally made too hard to break, her cursing aloud, creating an opportunity for me to retaliate. Quickly, I threw the shield Captain America-style towards my female friend, who panicked, yet fleetly submerged herself into the spout, rapidly reaching the ground, ducking my fast-flying shield as it was just inches from her hair in the process. Next, she bent a fierce water beam straight at me, using the material that was the spout. Immediately, I raised a wall to protect myself from the blast, while "pulling back" the shield for another counter.

Of course, I was not aiming to hit her in the back. I am not the play-cheap-and-fight-dirty kind. I was aiming at the ground in front of her. As soon as the shield "landed" on the cementatory ground of the sparring platform, bouncing up and down for a bit, I "pushed" it, making it roll forwards very fast, like a wheel, also blunting its edge so as not to injure her, either seriously or fatally. Instantly, Anyu detected the object coming towards her, rapidly forming water around her, from the very small water particles; then, she shot a pretty big water bullet at the shield, freezing it as the water contacted it. When her water beaming was done, I sent the wall forwards, hardening it in case my "opponent" decided to use super-hard ice to shatter it. My intention was to let the wall enfold around her, caging her again just like I'd done in the previous match.

However, before the wall began to envelop her, Anyu jumped past it, and resolved to counter with putting a water sphere around her-

 _Ugh, not the ice dagger spamming again._

Notwithstanding, she didn't really shoot out ice daggers; instead, she shot out a lot of crescent moon-shaped ice!

 _Ain't that beautiful?_

Fleetly, I improvised, coating my body with microorganism armor, slowly approaching her; and I saw worry on her face already. _If physical warfare doesn't help, psychological one will._ The nearer I approached her, the more she panicked inside, forgetting to harden the ice to break my armor. When I was only inches from her, I reached past her water sphere and grasped her right arm, then her left, causing the sphere to disintegrate. Next, I moved her arms towards her back, gripping both of her wrists with my right hand, using the other to wrap around her waist and lift her up to my height.

"Do you yield?". I grinned, after making the microorganism "face plate" to melt away, revealing my face.

"It's hard for a girl not to". Anyu grinned back, and her voice was somewhat... sultry? "Especially when a man of your stature holds her like this".

 _Aw, shit. Penis, stay down. Stay. The fuck. Down!_

"No, Anyu... Look, I- I-".

"Hey, you did the move first, Handsome. You brought it upon yourself. And then some".

As soon as the Northern Water Tribe girl finished her sentence, I felt her lips touch mine, not too quick but not too slow either. At that moment, I heard a loud gasp from outside the sparring platform. I chuckled inwardly. _Tanna juuuust didn't see that coming._ Once Anyu's lips and mine parted, we heard Tanna gasp again. _What's with her, reall-_

"And you said you love her very much, huh?".

I recognized that voice. It was Mako's.

Immediatel- What was that? Oh. Oh, you want to know what happened before the rematch? Right, of course! Thought you'd never ask.

Well, after the cloning practice with Azara, I was tired as fuck. So I went back to my room to sleep. And I slept 'til noon. After waking up, after the personal hygiene, and after lunch, I asked around to see if anyone from the group of Pema, the kids, the brothers, Asami and Azara had returned or not. None had. Therefore, I was back to my room and tried to remember what'd happened the night before, conjuring up my failures and my female mentor's advices. Following that, I coated the walls, ceiling, doors, window and floor with super-solid microorganisms to prevent either my mutated self or my mutated clone to burst out of the room, destroying everything and hurting people.

Once all was done, I began the practice again, and just like before, I failed. Not in the sense of... fucking it up, but in the sense of losing my nerve... all over again. _At least I didn't fuck it up big time, I guess._ Ten nerve-losing attempts later, I gave up. _Perhaps it's best to practice with Azara tonight instead of doing it alone._ _Anyway, I wonder how- Oh. She's awake._ "Seeing" that Korra had been awake, I intended to go visit her, to check if she was still afraid of and mad at me or not, and to... talk to her. Goodness, how I missed her. However, on my way out of the temple, I bumped into He Cen ( one of the male Air Acolytes who had 'helped' me and Korra with my wrestling lessons? ), who excitedly asked me how I was and if I had time for some Pai Sho matches. Of course, I aimed to refuse, yet decided against it; after all, I "committed" a heinous crime against the Avatar, so it's not likely that she'd forgive me anytime soon.

And so I stayed back on Air Temple Island, getting my ass kicked at Pai Sho and talking to the young male Air Acolyte, trading advices and stuff, his were about me and Korra and mine were about him and a female Air Acolyte. About two hours later, after managing to achieve the only win, I politely declined He Cen's offer for another rematch, thanking him for the advices, and left. It was nearly late in the afternoon, so I decided to just go to the airbending training area and practice some whipping and microorganism manipulating. About twenty minutes later, Tanna and Anyu came to greet me and to talk about Korra, expressing their concern about the young Avatar being hurt... at the most private places.

Upon seeing them so concerned, so worried, I began to feel guilty once again. _It was all my fault..._ Nonetheless, I was NOT to let our "reunion" be overcome by sadness; therefore, after asking them how the hotel business was, I suggested Anyu to have a rematch with me, as she'd clearly wanted. And you already knew what happened next. Now, let's get back to Mako discovering me and Anyu... together.

"Mako, that was not what you think it is-", immediately releasing Anyu, I turned to the elder fire ferret, and began.

"No? Then I guess I just had a hallucination about you holding and kissing that Water Tribe girl!". Mako pointed his finger at me, then at Anyu, accusingly.

"Saudorn spoke the truth, Mako; it was just a... friendly kiss, no more no less", Anyu calmly explained.

"No, Anyu, he uses you. He has more than just a friendly kiss in store for you".

 _No, Mako, you idiot! Don't you dare-_

"What are you talking about? What is this 'in store' business?", Tanna inquired him while walking towards me and the Water Tribe gal, ready to defend her friends.

Mako shook his head. "He didn't tell you, did he? As I expected".

"Mako, look, I know you're angry at me, but I swear I didn't do it", I addressed him.

"You didn't do what?". Anyu was confused. "What is going on here?".

"I'll tell you what he did", Mako said, "he's the one who raped Korra, not some unknown culprit".

Right away, I heard two sharp gasps next to me. _Motherfuckin' damn it._ That was when silence befell all of us, Tanna and Anyu still stared at me in disbelief. Finally, I spoke:

"You're wrong, I didn't do it. Sojana did".

"And do you have proof to back it up? Or do you just have your fabricated, bogus story as verification?". Mako sneered.

 _You wanna use sarcasm against me, pretty boy? Fine, I'll shove it up your ass._

"Wow, then, I guess Azara must be in league with me too, since she was my mentor, and the one who rescued Korra. I bet she must be pleasuring herself while watching me rape my girlfriend, because we are two wicked, twisted individuals". _Shit, now I wanna see Azara touch herself while Korra rub her pussy against my cock. What the fuck did I just get myself into?_ "Hey, and while we're at it, why not throw in the fact that I'm an agent of Agrigula also? Maybe I'm just one crazy, brainfried and evil motherfucker who lusts after the young and juicy Avatar. If you won't accept my sincerity, I'll be more than happy ( George Carlin:"Sounds to me like a dangerous mental condition" ) to live up to your fantasy. Would you like that, huh? Are you getting off on this? 'Cause I have no problem with it!".

As soon as I finished my sentence, Mako quickly formed two flaming knives, shouting:"You disgusting bastard, I'll put you down for good!".

"You're welcome to try, little rat!". Instantly, I formed a halberd, ready to teach Mako a lesson.

"ENOUGH, you two!".

And that was all I heard before cold water, outta nowhere, splashed my face, making me gasp aloud, causing me to lose the manipulation over the halberd, the thing dissolving away. I was stunned. And so was Mako, his flaming knives were no longer in his gripping fists. When I refocused, I saw Anyu standing between us, arms extended, each hand facing me and the former Fire Ferret team captain. Next, she directed us:

"You". She pointed at me. "I want you to tell me what happened, in your room. And you". She turned to Mako. "Go to your room ( Sokka:"YOUNG MAN, AS SOON AS WE GET HOME, YOU'RE GONNA GET THE PUNISHMENT OF A LIFETIME!" ) and think about your behavior. Next time you see Saudorn, I want you to apologize to him, and I want you to _mean_ it". Then, she looks back at me. "Go ahead, Saudorn, I'll catch up with you soon".

Nodding silently, I turned around, beginning to return to my room. At that moment, I felt like someone was watching me from afar. Swiftly, I turned my head to my right, discovering Azara, her standing on one of the roofs of the building nearby. As she saw that she had been detected, she made a shush gesture, signaling me not to say anything. After that, she disappeared.

 _Funny how quick the day has declined from feeling great to feeling shitty, then not wanting to feel anymore, especially after antagonizing myself and getting cold water-splashed on the face. What a freakin' day. Just like the song U-R-B by Tankard._

 _What a day, what a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Life's great when graveyard is your home!_

 _What a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Undead, rotting bones!_

 _When we come to town,_

 _the people just keep their heads down._

 _Trying to escape,_

 _corpses all over the place._

 _Maggots in my brain._

 _Believe me, I don't feel no pain._

 _Fingers are my tools._

 _Bloodthirst is pretty cool._

 _Soon you'll see, you run out of time._

 _What a day, what a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Life's great when graveyard is your home!_

 _What a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Undead, rotting bones!_

 _Neon nights are bright._

 _None of us saw daylight._

 _Cannot lose our lites. ( beer with relatively few calories )_

 _No limits in the minds._

 _Killin' just for fun._

 _Tomorrow it will be your turn._

 _Going straight to hell._

 _Agony, I can tell!_

 _Soon you'll see, you run out of time._

 _What a day, what a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Life's great when graveyard is your home!_

 _What a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Undead, rotting bones!_

 _When we come to town,_

 _the people just keep their heads down._

 _Trying to escape,_

 _corpses all over the place._

 _Maggots in my brain._

 _Believe me, I don't feel no pain._

 _Fingers are my tools._

 _Bloodthirst is pretty cool._

 _Soon you'll see, you run out of time._

 _What a day, what a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Life's great when graveyard is your home!_

 _What a day, what a day, what a day!_

 _Undead, rotting bones!_

...

The Hospital, Day 3, 8:23 in the morning.

Korra's p.o.v.

This day was the day, the last day. The day after would be when I finally was able to get out of here. It was quite weird; I mean, the first day was quite bearable, but the day before was horrible, despite the fact that I'd had such a good morning to start with. _It was all Mako's fault! Why did he have to be such a jerk? I... I just didn't want to talk about him, about Saudorn, but Mako had to remind me of him. Why? I know he only was concerned about me, but I'd made up my mind about not telling Lin and Tenzin about my rapist boyfriend_ ( but I did tell them about Tarrlok's true nature, though ). _Couldn't he just see that?_

And talk about keeping it a secret, I guess part of me was still in denial, still didn't want to believe that Saudorn had raped me, violated me. It made me feel so conflicted, so conflicted that I'd become miserable to the point of simply not caring about dinner or having people around me anymore. From that day's late afternoon up to midnight, I cried myself to sleep, had nightmares, woke up, cried some more, had flashbacks, cried again, and slept, all more than once. At midnight, when I woke up for the umpteenth time, I was exhausted; I felt like I was glued to the bed, unable to move, with my stomach annoyingly bothering me because I didn't eat anything since lunch. It took me forever to merely sit up, another period of eternity to solely rouse Jinora from sleep, and one last stage of infinity to make her understand that I was hungry. Following all that, I was able to have my late dinner, with the light bulb for my area turned on by Tenzin's eldest, grateful for the energy-bestowing nourishment, feeling calm after those nightmares and flashbacks.

Once I was done, I slowly lay down to rest while Jinora asked me how I was. I said that I was fine and told her I needed sleep right away, causing her to blush, out of embarrassment, which prompting her to turn off the light. Next, I closed my eyes, relaxed and tried to sleep; and during the process of slumbering, in spite of me striving to bury it in the deepest recesses of my mind, that piece of memory just kept on coming back. I didn't know whether I should be glad or worried, for it was the scene of me sleeping on top of _him_ , naked and happy.

So, that was the day before, and then this morning, I woke up pretty late, once again seeing Asami sitting next to my bed, reading newspaper. And all I gotta say is... I was quite disappointed. I didn't know why, but I was disappointed. Then, I was confused, not as much as I had been. Still... _Why is he not here? Why doesn't he come to visit me again? I miss him. And the dream... the dream last night. It was so real! The skin-on-skin contact, the touching, the kisses, and, oh, the... moment of truth. I could've sworn it felt like I was back on Air Temple Island, in either his or my room, and was intimate with him. So passionate. So wanting. So much that I wanted him inside m- Wait, no!_ That was when I remembered everything, everything that'd happened to me. Next, I also remembered yelling, then firebending at him, feeling so furious, yet so afraid. However, I remembered his facial expression the most: He panicked, but he was stunned too. Did he think I betrayed him? Did he think he was going to be burned alive? Did he even think about our relationship at that mo-

"Korra, are you okay? You're awake, but you look awfully tired".

Upon hearing Asami's voice, I snapped out of it, turning to her immediately, trying to sit up, her reaching to help me.

Instead of lying to her about my inner condition, I asked her:"Do you think he truly did... harm me?".

"You mean Mako or-". Asami was puzzled.

"Him", I replied simply.

"Oh. I- I don't know. I was not there, Korra". Mako's girlfriend shook her head.

"Alright". I shrugged; then looking around, I saw that there was only her. "Where're Bolin and everyone?", I inquired.

"Well, everyone went home last night, since you just didn't want to talk. But Azara told me to stay here to look after you", Asami responded, "also, Pema won't come today, because Azara wanted her to stay home". When she saw my "Why?" look, she quickly added. "For the baby's wellbeing, of course. Anyway, let's get you to the restroom. After that, you have breakfast, okay?".

I nodded, letting Asami help me get off the bed, guiding me towards the restroom. Afterwards, I was back on the bed and was having breakfast, when Bolin, Tanna and Anyu came in. No Mako, though. I asked Bolin:

"Where's Mako? Don't tell me he's still angry at me".

"He still is". While Bolin looked quite uncomfortable, Anyu answered my question for him. "But more seriously, yesterday, he went to confront Sau- I mean, _him_. And if I didn't-".

"He what?", I almost shouted, feeling my bile rise up, "he confronted _him_? Why in Spirits' names would he do a stupid thing like that? And how dare him!".

Once I refocused myself, I saw that the girls were stunned by my outburst, while Bolin was taken aback, probably scared shiftless. I sighed a long sigh and apologized for my behavior, telling them that I didn't think Mako would go so far as to accost the other guy. I mean, even though I had mixed feelings towards _him_ , I wanted to face him alone and fix everything alone. He was mine. Besides, he was not someone to be taken lightly, as I already saw him in action against the Equalists who'd kidnapped Bolin and key members of the Triple Threat Triad. Without powers, he was already scary, and now he could manipulate... things. So how was Mako supposed to best that guy? I don't think even Lord Zuko in his prime could handle such an individual like _him_. Then again, how was I supposed to "face him and fix everything" if violence was the only thing I had in mind? Should I try to talk to him instead? Should I have a sit down with him and talk things through, even though I would be repulsed to the point of vomiting right then and there? I didn't even know what I was trying to do anymore.

Trying to stay calm, I asked Anyu to describe what'd happened the night before, and was told that after finishing their second sparring match ( and I'd be very very jealous of and enraged by Anyu for sparring with him TWICE without asking my consent, and kissing my man, had I not thought he was scum of the Earth already ), she and he were caught kissing by none other than Mako, who was disgusted by his behavior, accusing him of being a dishonest sleazebag. Following that, everything was almost blown out of proportion as _he_ antagonized himself in front of Mako and the girls, making the former Fire Ferret team captain very furious. If it was not for Anyu to stop the fight before it could happen, there was no telling how bad the outcome would be.

 _He... demeaned himself? Why would he do that? Did he do that because he felt bad for what he's done to me? Or it's simply because he just wanted to rile Mako? If it was the former, then... I should give him another chance? If the latter... Then, he's utterly evil. Or was he? Or maybe he has self-hate or something. Spirits, why is it always so complicated?_

Anyhow, after all that, Anyu came to his room ( _Goodness, I wish my boyfriend was not that gorgeous so the girls wouldn't be attracted to him too muc- Wait a minute, what am I even thinking?_ ) to listen to his explanation, and he told her that despite me accusing him of... raping me, he didn't do it. It was Sojana who violated me. Next, Anyu went on to say something about shapeshifting, about Sojana becoming my boyfriend in order to do what she'd done ( _Wait, what? She can sprout a... man-thing between her legs? That- that's... I was violated by a woman?_ ) and... and... about his nemesis ordering that bitch to accompany Agrigula to cause as much damage on me and to distract my boyfriend as frequently as possible!

 _My Goodness, it all makes sense now. how... diabolical._

The revelation shocked me too much that I felt more confused than ever. Spirits, I even felt disoriented as well! Therefore, with great restraint, I told everybody to leave me alone for the day, because I needed time to think; also, I said that just as the kids entered the room, making me feel pretty awkward. Before leaving, Asami advised the kids not to disturb me and to leave as well. Nevertheless, I felt bad to see a disappointed look on their faces, so I said they could stay with me for a little while. Thus, in my area, there were only me and the kids, and we talked about me the day before. And when I began to feel a bit better, the doctor and the nurses came. _Oh, the infernal physical exam again. Regardless, I wonder if he knows about the true nature of my violation. I wonder if he knows about Sojana._

After the examination, and after asking the doctor to let the nurses wait outside, I asked him if he knew about the true identity of my violator. Feeling quite uncomfortable, the doctor haltingly replied that he knew; notwithstanding, he said that the tale my boyfriend had told him sounded... a bit far-fetched. He also said that my boyfriend could be lying, even when he'd appeared to be sincere. It was for whatever purpose, he did not not, but he advised me not to jump to conclusions too soon.

"You are still in your self-healing process, it is best for you not to concern yourself with such matter at the moment", the doctor offered his suggestions, "anyway, I heard that you chose not to tell the Chief of Police about your boyfriend. I think it's understandable. You still love him, but you're not sure if he's worth your love or not. I say just give it time, your body will tell you who's guilty and who's not, eventually".

"Thank you, Doctor. I really appreciate it". I nodded, giving him a small smile.

"You're welcome, Avatar Korra. Now, just relax for the rest of the day. You'll need peace of mind and body before you leave tomorrow. After all, this city needs its Avatar at 100% capability".

With that, the doctor exited the chamber, and I was alone again, for a moment ( if the kids chose to re-enter ). I reflected on what he'd said, smiling a little brightly this time.

 _I still love him._

And, so, for the rest of the day, I concentrated on relaxing, putting the thoughts about the Incident aside, not neglecting lunch and dinner anymore. All in all, I was beginning to feel like myself again. Before the end of visiting hour, I embraced Asami, Bolin, Tanna, Anyu, the kids, and Azara ( she'd told me that it was her turn that night to 'keep an eye' on me "lest the enemies decide to assail" me once again ) and said goodnight to them. When they all left, I lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, not with negativity anymore, but with love. And softly, I hummed the song Lord Zuko used to sing to me whenever he went to visit me in the compound, when I was a kid. I still remembered its lyrics very well.

 _Winter, Spring - Summer and Fall._

 _Winter, Spring - Summer and Fall._

 _Four seasons, four - loves._

 _Four seasons, for - love._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	29. Chapter 25

**Note: Dedicated to Jack Cross, who wanted to see some action, and Matthew Gemm, who wanted to see Saudorn reunite with Korra. All in all, my friends, peace is definitely fuckin' over! Are you ready for waaar...? War... WAAAAR ENSEMBLE! ( \m/ ). This chapter contains coarse language and a small, gory scene of messed-up stuff. I don't own the song Destiny by Death and Flag of Hate by Kreator. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXV - Flag of Hate**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

The Hospital, next morning.

Korra's p.o.v.

"So I can finally get out of here now? For real?", I asked the doctor for the umpteenth time, getting more and more excited.

And you're damn right I was excited! After waking up, after breakfast, after facing that lengthy inquiry session conducted by Lin and one of her officers again, after talking with Tenzin a bit, and after going through the final examination, it was official that I was ready to leave, taking names and kicking asses! Anyway, I was pretty excited about seeing Saudorn again too. I hoped it all would work out.

"Yes, Avatar Korra, yesterday was your last day in here". He sighed. "Like I've been telling you for the past ten minutes. Your wounds have healed, your body has regained nearly all of its strength, and I also see that you have emotionally done a bit better too. However, I think you need to take more time on the emotional aspect if you want to be at your 100% ; I mean, emotional scars are harder to heal. Not impossible. But, yes, harder. I don't know what you feel towards your boyfriend right now; nonetheless, you have to forgive him. Then, you forgive yourself. It will take time, I expect nothing less; so, my final advice to you, Avatar Korra, is to be patient, and be more patient. Take it easy on yourself, alright?".

"Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it. And thanks for everything you've done. I'll try my best". I beamed him a smile.

"You're welcome, and at your service, Avatar Korra". The doctor bowed slightly. Before he left the chamber, he said:"I almost forgot. Councilman Tenzin has signed everything, you just need to sign the checkout form, and then you are free to go".

"Yes!".

Eagerly, I jumped off the bed, snatched my clothes from Asami's hands, entered the restroom, got out of 'my' ridiculous hospital gown and donned my ever-loving Water Tribe outfit once again. Next, I left the chamber together with my friends ( including Mako, as he was happy to see me recover pretty well. It was good that he apologized to me too, for being such a pain in the butt; thus, I forgave him, and apologized to him as well, for yelling at him ) and family, signed the checkout form, talked with Lin for a little bit, then exited the hospital, for good! After that, I said goodbye to Tanna and Anyu as they had to go back to the hotel, said hi to Naga, giving her a warm and loving hug as I missed her so much ( and clearly Naga missed me very much too, because due to her excitement, she pushed me on the ground and proceeded to lick my face! ), telling Tenzin to fly everyone home and be present in the dining room, for I had important things to say, also for I wanted to ride Naga home to get that feeling of exhilaration back, reconnecting with her, my best friend.

Once Oogi began to take off and flew away, I urged Naga to race towards Air Temple Island, thanking the Spirits that, somehow, no one knew I was in the hospital all this time. And when they realized that fact, it was too late. _I'm coming home now, everyone!_

 _I'm coming home, Saudorn._

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

I was pacing back and forth near the stonesteps leading to the temple, awaiting Korra's return. And I was getting more and more anxious and restless and... thrilled. _Korra is going home today. She felt much better than before. Maybe... maybe there is hope after all._ Following the silly confrontation between me and Mako, I'd thought things were going for the worse; but that was not the case at all. After explaining to Tanna and Anyu the night before the night before, I practiced self-cloning with Azara again 'til dawn, then went to sleep for nearly the whole day, as the practice this time was more unnerving than the last, making me tired as hell.

Afterwards, I woke up, had lunch, rested for a while, went to the airbending training area to practice more microorganism manipulating and stuff. At around 4:00 P.M. , Azara went to see me, telling me that it was time for me to be filled in on the lore of the Guardian once more time. So I followed her to her room and listened to what she had to say. She said, basically there were... stranger Guardians in the beginning. Totally - out-of-subspecies'-comprehension - Guardians. There were only four Guardians then, one after another, each replacing the other as they could not contain the Energy for an indefinite amount of time. They were Asung ( pronounce 'Ah-sung' ) the Elder, Diegen ( pronounce 'Dee-gen' ) the Wisdomful, Hyravar ( pronounce 'Hy-avar' ) the Majestic, and Zafaban ( so easy to pronounce I won't even try to do it xD ) the Younger. These were the first and most powerful of the Non-Humanoid Guardians, called the Elders. Their reigns were long and kinda uneventful ( well, there were forces of darkness at work, sure, but these guys were so powerful, the bad guys didn't even stand a chance. It was like a series of cosmic five seconds of fame; like, as soon as the bad guys showed up, they were vanquished, no, fuckin' annihilated, so fast that it was like a bunch of martial art people killing flies with their own hands; well, excluding the very powerful and very evil masterminds, of course ).

However, eventually, the bad guys saw a hole in the Elders' reigns; and yeah, you got that right, they noticed the "they could not contain the Energy for an indefinite amount of time" part. So, they attacked before the next Guardian was accepted by the Energy ( with ceremonial procedures and shit ). Needless to say, it was the second most major, epic and brutal conflict between Good and Evil all the realities had ever seen ( I'll tell you about the first one later ), becoming the first sign of another paradigm shift - the end of the Elders' reigns and the beginning of the Others' reigns ( meaning 'everyone else' ). When the second sign, the Common Protest ( objections/complaints from every race and species/subspecies in every reality ), or just the Protest, came to pass, Esillith and the other powerful cosmic beings had no choice but to apply new rules, enabling lesser cosmic beings and individuals from the subspecies to become Guardians, one after another, of course.

After that, as time went by, strange-shaped Guardians began to lessen ( although there are still a bunch of 'em. And when I say 'bunch', I mean a LOT; but don't be confused with A LOT ), and humanoid Guardians started filling in the Strange Ones' place, all up to the current Guardian, which was Azara. Next, she told me about several notable humanoid ( but not human ) Guardians ( including three, THREE human Guardians in the distant past. But not exactly from our reality though ), and they were: Honorah ( pronounce 'O-noh-rah' ), a Xazan ( pronounce 'Xah-zən' ), from the 134th Reality, whose abilities was almost like Gladiator from Marvel ( without the ridiculously fitting punk, Mohawk hairstyle. And to be honest, she was an alien. You know, humanoid, but not human? Gladiator looks like a human to me ); Kalar, ( pronounce 'Kah-lah' ), Honorah's successor, a Fedarian ( pronounce 'Fdah-rian' ), from the 73rd Reality ( now this is interesting. Kalar was a very special Guardian, she... uh... it was the most powerful humanoid Guardian all the realities had ever witnessed. Seriously, she- Ah, fuck, it was awesome; Pre-Guardian and Pre-Prime ( Prime - a state in which a Guardian reached his/her/its fullest potential, and it has nothing to do with age, okay? It was like... a synergy between the Energy and the individual, alright? I-it's hard to explain. You have to delve deep in Energetics or Chemistry or some other advanced scientific shit to understand ), it could manipulate ALL inorganic matters. ALL. In every reality. So, when it became the Guardian? It could manipulate planets, moons, meteors, suns, stars and black holes of all sizes. BLACK HOLES! Black-fuckin'-holes! It could even create all of the above, if given specific and necessary materials! And when Kalar reached its Prime? It was a freakin' reality warper, creator and eraser! It was because it was so powerful that when it tapped its powers into the inorganic matters, it actually tapped into the very reality it was inside and the realities it was in the vicinity of! Do you know what I'm talking about here? I'm talking about Marvel's The One Above All-related, Animorphs' the Ellimist and Crayak-related and Dr. Who's Personal Reality Warp-related powers! And it was this fact that- I'm sounding like a complete nerd, am I?

Aaaanyway, Kalar's powers were not the only thing special about it. Oh ho ho, no. It was a Fedarian, right? Well, the Fedarians are a species that is 70% female, 30% male. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, Billy, I didn't finish yet, please sit down. Where was I? Oh, 70% female, 30% male. Meaning, four-armed, two upper, male arms; two lower, female arms; male sexual organs; and female body ( including having four breasts ) and face- Right, Jeff, that was a good question. If they all have a dick and balls, how the fuck are they gonna reproduce? They don't. They clone, mixing many of the chosen finest and most special specimens' DNA snippets together, using super advanced technologies ( *whisper* and they do it religiously ). Kalar was one of such children. Cool, huh? Also, people heard many a tale of the Fedarians being the most... randy species in all of realities, and Kalar was the most randy of all. Heh heh, heh heh, heh- I'm gonna stop now.

Oookay, last Guardian, as well as Azara's predecessor, Mugor ( pronounce 'Moo-goh' ), a Calashese ( pronounce 'Cah-lah-shēs' ), and a genderless one at that ( phew, no complication! ), from the 289th Reality. Kinda like the Hulk without all that green-gamma, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stuff. Or is it more like DC's Doomsday? Whatever. The point is: Pre-Guardian, it was unbreakable, too stubborn to die and really fuckin' RELENTLESS. It was like a Kryptonian Terminator or something. Kicks fuckin' ass.

Now, one last thing before we move on: Much like the World of Benders' Avatars, who have the Avatar State, the Guardians have fun-time sessions of their own, and they're called: the Guardian Form. However, instead of summoning the previous Guardians' powers like the Avatar does when he/she goes into the Avatar State, the Guardian is required to transform into the one shape that fits his/her/its description of powers. For instance, Mugor's Guardian Form was named Cracack ( pronounce 'Crā-cack' ), taken from a lost species of extremely hard-skinned, alien giants, whose idea of entertainment was to throw mountains at each other. Talk about being OP ( but it was exceedingly mandatory to do so, because Evil can beat you when it comes to the... OP Competition ).

Alright, that was the lore update. After that, it was just like the past two nights, more cloning practice. But this time I did pretty well. And now there I was, still pacing back and forth. _Where the hell is Korra? Where the hell is everyo-_ Then, I detected Oogi's presence, flying fast towards the island! _Alright, about time- Wait a minute, Korra's not on Oogi! And Naga is nowhere to be se- Ohhhh... Maybe she's going here by riding the polar bear-dog. Huh. Gotta ask to make sure._

 _Hey, Tenzin, Korra wanted to ride Naga home?_

"Who-". I sensed Tenzin ask aloud while controlling Oogi.

 _Relax, Tenzin, it's me, Saudorn. I'm communicating with you psychically. Korra wanted to ride Naga home?_

 _Oh, Saudorn, you scare the spirit out of me. And, yes, she insisted on riding her polar bear-dog. I couldn't convince her otherwise._

 _It's alright, Tenzin, she's fine. Not that I'm connecting with her mind right now, but I doubt the enemies will try to attack her again so soon._

 _You may be right. Anyway, I know you've been waiting for her return, but please go easy on her. The doctor said she needs more rest; therefore, I'm afraid you'll have to be more and more... patient with her._

 _I know, Tenzin, I know. If she wishes to not talk to me, I'll respect her decision._

 _That was not what I meant-_

 _I was only joking._

 _Oh. Well, I guess you understood what I said, then. Also, Korra told us to be all present in the dining room because she has more important information to inform._

 _I see. I'll escort her there once she's here. See you soon, Tenzin._

 _See you soon._

Five minute later, I detected Korra's presence as she was nearing the island. One minute later, she was on the island, and was headed towards the temple's entrance. _Here comes the moment of truth._ Once Korra got past the stonesteps, she saw me immediately, and I smiled really warmly at her, then... she froze, staring at me with a hard-to-explain expression. _Shit._ Time seemed to stand still as neither of us move, just gazing into each other's eyes. Me, to her light blue orbs; her, to my black-and-brown eyes ( I have Heterochromia. Nothing serious, just benign stuff :D ). Suddenly, my breath was caught; my Goodness, she was so beautiful. The most beautiful young woman I had ever seen. The greatest love of my life... Subsequently, after what appeared to be an eternity, she slowly walked towards me; and my heart got warmer than ever. I began to walk towards her too. When we were pretty close to one another, she said, looking away, her voice trembling a little:

"Le-let's go to the dining room. I... have important things... to tell everyone".

Next, she just strode past me. I closed my eyes, and sighed softly. _More and more patient. Sure, no problem._ As soon as I opened my eyes again, I quickly turned around and caught up with Korra.

"At least let me accompany you there", I spoke quietly.

She didn't say anything else other than muttering a small "thank you", us strolling side by side now. Inwardly sighing this time, I felt sad, yet somehow relieved; if nothing else, she didn't firebend at me upon seeing the sight of me, and judging the tone of her voice, she was not cold and distant either. So, hooray? _But no matter what, Korra, you are my destiny, just like that Death song. And I'll wait for you._

 _Time is a thing we must accept,_

 _the unexpected I sometimes fear._

 _Just when I feel there's no excuse for what happens,_

 _things fall into place._

 _I know there is no way to avoid the pain that we must go through_

 _to find the other half that is true._

 _Destiny is what we all seek._

 _Destiny was waiting for you and me._

 _I believe behind confusion awaits the truth for us._

 _Past the obstacles we face._

 _I value our life and trust._

 _Years of questioning why things happen the way they do in life,_

 _wishing that I could turn back time,_

 _so we could join our souls._

 _I know there is no way to avoid the pain that we must go through_

 _to find the other half that is true._

 _Destiny is what we all seek._

 _Destiny was waiting for you and me._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

In the dining room in the Air Temple, on Air Temple Island, I was chowing down on food, reaaal food, quickly forgetting my... confused and anxious moment with my boyfriend, while sitting at a table with Bolin, Mako, Asami, Tenzin, Lin, Pema, Azara and... Saudorn.

"Mmm. Mmm. The food tastes amazing, Pema. Now I'm really feeling like myself again!", I talked to Pema with food in my mouth.

"We're so thankful you're home safe". While standing up to retrieve my cleaned plate, Pema replied.

Asami stood up to assist Pema. "Let me help".

"Korra, I realize you've been through a lot", Tenzin said, "but I need to know everything that happened. Well, aside from the... uh...".

"It's okay, Tenzin, thanks for caring. Anyway, first off, Tarrlok isn't who he says he is. He's Yakone's son".

Tenzin and Lin appeared shocked. Next, I turned towards Saudorn to see what his reaction was. He was not even surprised. _So he already knew? Azara must have filled him in._

Lin was thoughtful. "It all makes sense now. That's how Tarrlok was able to bloodbend us without a full moon".

"Do you know where Tarrlok is now?", Tenzin inquired me.

"Amon captured him". My voice got serious. "And took his bending".

Tenzin was aghast. "What?".

But I was uncertain. "I-I was not sure if that was true, I was... you know... I just heard his screaming, faintly".

"It was true, Korra". Azara nodded. "Amon did take Tarrlok bending. I was there".

I smiled slightly towards her. "Thanks, Azara, for rescuing me". I turned to Tenzin. "Yeah, he showed up out of nowhere. He almost got me, too".

"This is very disturbing news", my mentor stated, "Amon is becoming emboldened. Taking out a councilman, almost capturing the Avatar... I fear he is entering his endga-".

"You mean 'they', Agrigula and Amon, Tenzin", Saudorn suddenly spoke, lightly cutting off Tenzin. "Don't forget the fact that we are facing an "alliance" here".

"Right. I forgot about that". Tenzin softly dropped his face into his palm. "So, Saudorn, Azara, you two know best about the... "Alliance", what do you reckon they'll do in the near future?".

"Now we know that they have Equalist troops, Machine-Tanks and an entire, well, maybe, Legion of War backing them up", Saudorn mused things over, "war is inevitable. Yet we still don't know where they'll strike first". He turned to Lin. "Chief Beifong, have you alerted the whole police force to be on the lookout for anything suspicious?".

"I am no longer the Chief of Police, Saudorn, but thanks for the thought". Lin smiled at Saudorn's mistake a little too... flirtily? _Wha- what did I just see?_ Then, Lin reverted back to her normal self. "Also, I have. And I won't fail this time".

"You didn't fail, Lin", Azara spoke firmly, "they were only ahead of us back in the Arena. But if you will, may I join you in this matter?".

"Hmm... Normally, I hate when anyone interferes with my work, but I already... 'collaborated' with Tenzin; so I guess it doesn't hurt to let you join me, Miss Azara".

"Your decision is very well appreciated, Chief Beifong". Azara smiled brightly.

After that, we talked some about other things, enjoying lunch in peace. Even with what I'd gone through, I now felt like among family once again, despite the fact that I needed to work things out with Saudorn... again. Not that we were fighting once more at that time, but I was not willing to spend time with him romantically and intimately yet. I was not ready. Well, I'd thought I was; notwithstanding, it turned out I was not. _Spirits, please help me solve this problem quickly. I need to be able to trust him again. I need to be near him again. I need to... feel his embrace again._

...

Republic City, the next day.

Narrator's p.o.v.

Somewhere in Republic City, in a great house, the Fire Nation representative of the United Republic Council was pacing nervously about the room, while her husband was absorbed in a newspaper.

"Do you know where my keys are? I can't find them anywhere!", she spoke.

The husband was uninterested. "No, dear".

The Councilwoman pulled her keys out of her purse. "Oh, found them!".

Her husband was still uninterested. "Good, dear".

"Don't wait up for me; this council session will probably go late into the night", the Councilwoman instructed her husband.

Then, she heard a knock at the front door and rushed to answer it.

"The door, dear".

The Councilwoman opened the door to find three men in uniforms standing on the front step, one of which was actually Amon's Lieutenant in disguise, the other an Equalist grunt, and the last one Manoward himself. The Lieutenant quickly gave a sly smile before looking normal.

"We're here to fix a spider-rat problem", he said, holding up a spray hose and a poison can.

"I didn't call an exterminator". The Councilwoman was confused.

The Lieutenant electroshocked her with the spray hose, which was really a disguised Equalist equipment. The three stepped into the house as a thump of her body collapsing onto the ground could be heard.

The husband questioned curiously. "Dear?".

When he turned around to see his unconscious wife's body on the floor and there were three strange men in his house, he gasped aloud, beginning to scream. Before the Lieutenant could silence him, however, Manoward fleetly Force-choked the husband.

"He's mine", the man, no, the monster, as he was gradually changing into his true form, shredding his disguising clothes, snarled ferociously, unable to contain his own excitement.

Next, he slowly stepped forwards while still holding his prey immobile with his Force-choke, grinning predatorily, saliva dripping continuously from his full-of-sharp-teeth mouth.

"Th-the war is near". His voice quivered with delight. "Soon... the h-hunt will begin. The hunt for fressssssh meaaat".

As the abomination's monstrous fingers from his monstrous left hand wrapped around the man's throat, he growled/sang menacingly:

" 'Not the smell of mercy on me'. Sing it!".

Once the beast loosened his grip on the man's throat, the poor, unlucky fellow sang fearfully and timidly:

"Not... the smell of mercy on... me".

"Again", growled the monstrosity.

"Not the smell... of mercy on me".

"Again, and again, and again".

"Not the smell of mercy on me. Not the smell of mercy on me. Not the smell of mercy on me. Not the smell of mercy on-".

Before the man could finish the sentence, the monster's right hand descended upon his mouth, silencing him.

"Now, you're gonna fucking die, BIG TIME. You're ready? Here comes the pain!".

After that, Manoward proceeded to violently feed on his unfortunate prey, ripping, tearing, biting, chomping, chewing the living meal, causing blood and pieces of crimson flesh to fly everywhere. The scene was so horrifically hellish that the Equalist grunt fainted on the spot, while the Lieutenant looked away, struggling not to throw up all over the floor.

...

During this time, Councilman Tenzin landed on the roof of City Hall on Oogi. He dismounted and walked around the dome, where several workers were cleaning the glass. They nodded at each other as Tenzin passed. He walked a few steps further, but halted as he heard the fizz of electricity. He ducked in surprise as an electrified disk spiraled over his head, and spun midair as another barely missed him. He landed on his feet as the Equalists in disguise dropped to the ground and seized his wrists with bolas. Tenzin dodged their attacks, and airbent himself high into the air with an air sprout. The Equalist who was still standing on the ground was flung backwards against the concrete wall by a gust of wind; he slumped down against it. Next, Tenzin rode his air spout and the two Equalists holding onto their bolas for dear life as they were spun around. Unable to hold on any longer, they released their grip and were flung onto a nearby rooftop. Tenzin settled back on the ground as the door opened and the council page came out.

"Aah!". He covered his face as the wind died down, and lowered his arms. "Ah, I'm so relieved to see you!", he cried aloud.

"The other council members. Are they all right?", Tenzin inquired him immediately.

The council page looked worried. "I'm afraid not! I just received a call from Chief Saikhan. They've all been captured!".

"This can't be happening", Tenzin muttered.

The council page held his hands out towards him. "The leadership of Republic City is in your hands now".

And right at that moment, Tenzin and the page heard the sound of nearby explosions and ran to the edge of the roof to see bombs falling onto the city from airships, Equalist airships.

The council page grabbed his head and wailed:"It is a tragic day indeed!".

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After lunch, before Tenzin went out to meet the other Councilpersons, he entrusted the babysitting task to Lin, then he departed. The kids today was happy because Korra had finally gone home, so they wanted to play with me and her in the airbending training area as Lin watched on, while Azara went to the city "to keep an eye on things". Everything had gone well until we heard a series of explosions way over from the city. Therefore, I, Korra, Lin and the kids rushed to the courtyard to see what was going on. Shortly after we arrived there, the White Lotus sentries came to join us. And we saw Equalist airships flew in above the city. _Fuckin' hell, they have airships as well? Why didn't I have any flashback from the show about this at all?_

Standing next to me, I heard Korra mutter:"Spirits, no...". Following that, I felt her subconsciously grabbed my left hand. Once she realized what she'd done, she embarrassedly let go of my hand, looking away briefly.

"All right, kids, time to go inside", Lin stated.

At that moment, Mako, Bolin and Asami hurriedly joined us out of curiosity. Jinora, Ikki and Meelo quickly walked back into the temple.

"We heard explosions, what's going on?", Mako asked aloud.

"Republic City is under attack", Lin replied, looking at the newcoming trio.

...

Amon's airship, at the same moment.

Hiroshi Sato's p.o.v.

 _For you, my love._ I was looking at a photograph of myself, my wife, and Asami as a child. My perfect family... All gone because of... benders. They had been masquerading as good people for far too long, and non-benders like me and my beloved and my niblings ( whose mission, at that time, was to lead our troops to claim important points across the city ) had also suffered for far too long. Not anymore. With Amon as our leader, and with Agrigula as our benefactor ( well, not for long too ), we could do anything; and we would, had things not horribly gotten out of control. After seeing enough of my conjured memories, I closed my eyes briefly, snapped the picture shut and tucked it away in my jacket pocket, before walking towards Amon, who was watching the city from the windows at the front of the airship.

"I've dreamed of this day for so long", I said. And, indeed, I had.

"Yes, the time has come for the Equalists to claim Republic City as their own", Amon spoke firmly without looking at me.

I turned to look at him, admiring the determination and will of steel in his voice. They inspired me. And before I was able to say anything else, that damnably familiar voice cut me off.

"And for the All-Lord's forces to own this world".

Upon hearing Agrigula's voice, Amon and I turned around, seeing Agrigula, who was in his true form, and Sojana, walk side by side towards us, accompanied by a couple of abominations which they called 'the Warslaves'. Once they stood opposite me and Amon, Agrigula greeted us first:

"Amon. Hiroshi".

Trying hard not to be repulsed by the creature using my first name, I feigned humbleness, nodding 'respectfully' at them and uttering their names, as Amon did the same.

"Agrigula. Sojana".

Then, Amon and Agrigula proceeded to stare each other down, for what seemed like an eternity, neither yielding to the other. As this... somewhat pointless showdown of will lengthened, I felt more and more anxious, fearing that disaster would strike at the alliance between the Equalists and the Legion of War right then and there. Finally, to end the silent confrontation, Amon spoke:

"Of course, Lord Agrigula, under the rule of the All-Lord, this world would be better than ever before. With you as our Governing Viceroy".

"And with her as the Chief of Warsounds". Agrigula grinned toothily, briefly shaking his head towards the direction of the Sojana woman. After that, he turned to her. "Would you kindly, Sojana?".

Nodding enthusiastically, the woman raised her left hand and snapped her thumb and middle finger together, creating a pretty loud sound. Rapidly, one of our Equalist grunts nodded and took some kind of a remote control out from one of his belt's equipment holsters ( _what kind of device is that? I didn't even remember designing that thing!_ ), pressing one button among many. Instantly, music was blaring from many hidden speakers around the airship, and even from the other airships!

Agrigula started laughing now, then he howled in delight:

"It's time... to raise... the FLAG. OF. HATE!".

Once he finished his sentence, his Warslaves, on this airship, and probably on the others, screamed out loud the same phrase. Inwardly, I shuddered and suddenly felt a pang of regret. And at that time, I was barely aware of the fact that it was the first sign of the downward spiral for the Equalists' cause. _What have we done? Was our decision even the right one? We will cause a mess, that's for sure; but now, how big that mess is gonna get? I hope we're not in way over our heads._ As my thoughts progressed internally, so the music kept on blaring.

Dark shadows lie over the city!

Tonight someone will die! You can hear

some painful screams. The air is full of flies!

The mayhemic legions are ready

to steal the human souls!

Come into my vault and do what you've been told!

I'll eat your intestines no matter

if you pray or plead!

I'll bring you down to your knees!

Tonight you're gonna meet your fate!

You'll try to run but it's too late!

I am here to liquidate!

Time - to raise - your Flag - of Hate!

Destroy - the world - is our - on-ly aim!

To strike - 'em down - is the on-ly way!

To make - 'em dead - and make - 'em pay!

The gallow of the underground!

Snipers on the sea of blood!

All that we want is to crucify your "God"!

The posers on this Earth have no right to live!

We gonna split their brains!

Torture is what we give!

I'll bring you down to your knees!

Tonight you're gonna meet your fate!

You'll try to run but it's too late!

I am here to liquidate!

Time - to raise - your Flag - of Hate!

Destroy - the world - is our - on-ly aim!

To strike - 'em down - is the on-ly way!

To make - 'em dead - and make - 'em pay!

I'll bring you down to your knees!

Tonight you're gonna meet your fate!

You'll try to run but it's too late!

I am here to liquidate!

Time - to raise - your Flag - of Hate!

Destroy - the world - is our - on-ly aim!

To strike - 'em down - is the on-ly way!

To make - 'em dead - and make - 'em pay!

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	30. Chapter 26

**Note: Dedicated to someone who's wanted to see something special with little Rohan :) ( "Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake, fire and slaughter! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered! A sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!" ). For you, my friend, I always keep my promises- Well, not always, but still. And I almost cried writing this scene. Tenzin, Pema, and the baby ( three days after the Youtuber Matthias announced the birth of his daughter - Luna ), soooo magical. This chapter contains coarse language and a pretty gory scene. I don't own the songs K.Y.A. by Flotsam and Jetsam and Cry War by Kreator. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXVI - Cry War!**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, from across the bay.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After communicating with Azara psychically, agreeing to meet her at the Republic City Park, as she was engaging with twisted, unidentified WW II Flamethrowers and horrendous-looking Warrior Crusaders from the Clive Barker's Jericho universe, I, Korra, Mako, Asami and Bolin got onto an Air Nomad boat and "rode" it towards the city's dock, crossing Yue Bay, seeing smoke rise and hearing sirens and explosions all around the city. Once the boat arrived at the dock and stopped, we got off it and was headed towards the fight ( actually fights in this case, but we had one priority ).

"Where did you say you parked the car?", Asami asked Korra.

"It's right around here somewhere", Korra replied, looking around, then spotting it. "There it is".

While we ran to the Satomobile, I saw that it had crashed into a pole. I sighed inwardly. Seriously, someone needs to teach her how to drive a car. _It's a wonder she didn't completely, totally disfigure it._

Asami immediately commented sarcastically:"Wow, nice parking job".

"Hey, you guys got arrested and left me alone with the car! I made it very clear I don't know how to drive", Korra countered. _Well, she got a point._

"All things considered, you did a great job!", Bolin, being his goofy self, commented. Next, he grabbed the parking tickets off the windshield. "But how are we going to pay for all these parking tickets?", he wondered out loud.

Mako grabbed the parking tickets out of Bolin's hand, crumpled them up, and burned them. Bolin gasped in horror. "Relax, the city is under attack. The police have more important things to worry about", he said. ( Sodom:"Fuck the police! Fuck the police!" ). _But not this time, though._

Asami opened the trunk and took out an electrified glove. "This'll come in handy". _Nice pun. However, I doubt she knows what puns are._ She opened the driver's side door and sat down. Mako went to sit next to her. Bolin looked at me, then at the remaining seat in Asami's car.

"Uhh... Would you like to...?", he haltingly asked me.

"Just get in Bolin, he can take care of himself". That was Korra. Nevertheless, she didn't sound cold, just... matter-of-factly.

After Bolin got in the car, my girlfriend looked at me and said:"Sorry, Saudorn, this car doesn't have many seats, as you can see. So, I guess... you should... use your powers?".

"I guess I should. And it's okay, Korra, it's more fun this way, regardless". I smiled at her.

Once I finished my sentence, I formed a microorganism-made Hoverboard, with safety clasps over my feet to prevent myself from falling off the thing, and "floated" away as Asami got the car moving. _Hopefully Azara is able to hold 'em at bay, or even push 'em out of the park. Then, when we arrive, we'll kick some serious asses._

...

Inside the Police Headquarters, in the control room.

Narrator's p.o.v.

One of the male telegraph operators told Saikhan:"Chief! Air unit seven was just taken out by an Equalist airship. They've crashed into the harbor! And the Arena is being heavily attacked by some of those... abominations!".

"Send a river rescue unit and some reinforcement, now", the new Chief of Police ordered.

A female telegraph operator reported:"Chief, all the river rescue ships have been sabotaged!".

Saikhan was astounded. "What?".

Right at that moment, Tenzin opened the door and entered. "Chief Saikhan".

Saikhan was relieved. "Tenzin, am I glad to see you. I was afraid you'd been captured too!".

"I'm the only Council member left. What's the status?", Tenzin wanted to know.

"Amon has launched simultaneous attacks across the boroughs. And the Arena is being aggressively besieged. I have had some of my officers there create a barrier using the police cars, as Lin and Miss Azara requested; nonetheless, it was not enough. The police are trying to regain control but we're spread too thin. There are too many of them", Saikhan reported.

Tenzin stroked his beard pensively and was thoughtful. Then, he told the clerks:"I need to send a wire".

"To whom, Councilman?", another of the male telegraph operators wanted to know.

"The general of the United Forces", the Air Nomad Councilman responded simply.

Unknown to the people inside the control room, in the halls of the Police Headquarters, as people ran in both directions, smoke began to pour out from the air vents. Amid the smoke, people coughed and fell over.

Back inside the control room, the same male telegraph operator announced:"Councilman, your wire has been sent".

The female telegraph operator reported:"Chief, the phone lines just went dead!".

Saikhan and Tenzin glanced at each other, when an alarm went off. The power went out, silencing the alarm. Saikhan turned on a flashlight.

"Catch". He threw another flashlight to Tenzin.

They both searched the room with their flashlights. Instantly, Tenzin noticed smoke coming out of a vent.

"Saikhan, the vents". Tenzin pointed at them. Saikhan metalbent the vent shut as the people in the room began coughing. "We need to evacuate immediately. Everyone, stay close to me", the last councilperson spoke and instructed everyone in the room.

Once everybody inside the room went outside, the hallway was smoke-filled. Tenzin quickly formed an air dome to protect Saikhan and his workers, them walking towards the nearest exit. It was the headquarters' entrance, where Tenzin's party escaped the smoke and Tenzin stopped airbending. Everyone in Tenzin's party gasped for air. Notwithstanding, they didn't really escape at all, for there were six Machine-Tanks surrounding the entrance.

"Not these Machine-Tanks again!", Tenzin exclaimed.

The Machine-Tanks swiftly held up magnetic arms, pulling the metalbending police officers towards these hulking machines' direction. Two metalbending officers got captured with this type of magnets and Tenzin tried to save Saikhan by pulling on him with an air current. However, the magnet was too strong and captured Saikhan. The three Machine-Tanks deposited their metalbending officers into a truck. One Machine-Tank fired a pincer cable at Tenzin, but he airbent the cable down and continued attacking the Machine-Tank. Two other machine weapons fired cables at him, who once again deflected them with airbending. Another Machine-Tank charged towards the Councilman and fired another pincer cable at Tenzin, knocking him against the wall of the Police Headquarters. He used an air wheel to soften his fall. He looked up, seeing the truck drive away.

"Saikhan, no!", Tenzin shouted.

He looked up as he saw a burning police airship falling out of sight behind a building, and saw the telegraph operators being captured by Equalists on the City Hall steps. His vision blurred and went black as the Machine-Tanks closed in. Right at that moment, not too far away, Asami drove around a corner and floored the gas pedal, Saudorn, who'd told Team Avatar that he sensed the Equalists aim for the Police Headquarters, following right behind it. Bolin earthbent two ramps in front of the car.

"Jump!", Asami shouted.

Team Avatar bailed out of the car before the ramps launched it into the air and knocked one Machine-Tank into another. Before the remaining four closed in on Team Avatar, Saudorn sent his 'Hoverboard', now a big, sharp-edged spike towards one of the machine weapons, impaling it completely. Meanwhile, Mako, Bolin, and Korra engaged the three tanks with their bending. A Machine-Tank was attacked with fire, while the one to its left fired a cable, only to be knocked back by a stone slab. The first Machine-Tank fired a cable at Bolin, who dodged it by launching himself away. Mako attacked the second Machine-Tank, only to be grabbed by a cable and electroshocked. Still, Mako grabbed the cable and redirected the electricity at the tank. The electricity coursed through it as the tank's lights went out and it slumped on itself. Korra melted the nearby snow into two water streams and dodged one of the cable and ran up one of Bolin's ramps and bent the water into the exhaust pipes of another Machine-Tank, causing it to begin malfunctioning and Saudorn sent a giant, spinning microorganism blade forwards, cutting the thing in half, right at the crotch. Two Equalists had just carried Tenzin to a truck and set him down when Asami electroshocked one from behind. Next, she took out five more Equalists as they attacked her, nimbly dodging their attacks before electroshocking them. Tenzin groaned and stood.

Tenzin nodded towards Asami. "Thank you".

The Councilman joined Mako, who was dodging the last Machine-Tank's attacks. Tenzin positioned himself beneath the tank and airbent it high into the air, sending it flying into the dome of City Hall. A bit far away, on Amon's airship, Hiroshi was watching the battle through a spyglass.

"Tenzin has escaped once again. I can't stand to see Asami fighting alongside those... benders", he turned to Amon, growling.

"We'll capture them before long, and you will have your daughter back", Amon firmly assured Hiroshi.

"He's right, Hiroshi". Walking towards the Equalist genius, stopping beside him, Agrigula spoke. "The day's still young. There are plenty of moments to have fun. Right, Sojana?".

"Absolutely, my Lord". Sojana nodded her head in agreement.

Down below, Korra and Saudorn rushed up to Tenzin.

"Are you all right?", she asked him, concerned.

"I'm fine. Thank you, kids. Another moment later and I would have been on my way to Amon".

"Or to Agrigula", Saudorn commented simply.

"Uh, guys... Look". Mako pointed towards where he was watching now.

An Equalist airship can be seen arriving at Air Temple Island.

"Oh no", Tenzin muttered in horror.

...

Air Temple Island, that afternoon.

Lin Beifong's p.o.v.

 _Here they come._

I watched the airship as the hatch opened, a metal hook and cable fired near the hatch, attaching to the temple's stonesteps. The chi blockers used harnesses to slide down the cable to the island. The White Lotus sentries were there, watching, then charging forwards to confront them. I was in the courtyard, and Tenzin's family watched from the balcony.

"Everyone, hide inside and remain calm", I ordered everyone. Then, Pema screamed; I turned around to face her. "Pull it together, Pema! Didn't I just say "remain calm"? ".

Ikki asked her mother, who was leaning over with her hand on her stomach:"Mommy, what's wrong?".

"The baby's coming!". She panted.

 _Flameo, right now?_

Jinora put her hands over her mouth. "Oh no!".

"Not now, baby!", Meelo yelled at Pema's stomach.

Two Air Acolyte midwives rushed to help Pema and led her inside, leaving the kids watching in concern. Next, I turned towards the White Lotus sentries. The chi blockers were running up the steps now... The White Lotus began bending at them as a cable from a second airship buried itself in the steps immediately below them. _Where in the flameo did that airship come from?_ More chi blockers swung down, followed by the Lieutenant. I speedily got into a fighting stance, listening to booted feet running. The Lieutenant and a group of chi blockers raced up the steps and charged. I used my cables to take out two chi blockers, before grabbing another Equalist with the cable. Another Equalist ran up to me, which I intercepted with an earth column. After that, I bent out another earth column and shot the projectile to an Equalist's face. _Eat that, bastard._ I grunted and slammed the ground, creating three earth columns that sent the Equalists flying into the air.

Afterwards, came the Lieutenant; after dealing and dodging one another's attacks, he intercepted my cables with his batons, sending a current through them to knock me over. He stood over me, raising his electrified kali sticks...

 _No, it cannot end here..._

That was when I heard a girl's voice. "Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend!".

Jinora appeared out of nowhere, using her staff to blow the Lieutenant away over a nearby roof.

"Jinora! You shouldn't be out here!", I reminded the girl sternly.

Following that, Ikki arrived on an air ball, knocking several Equalists over.

"Get off our island!", she yelled, knocking down several more Equalists and joins me and Jinora.

"Girls! You need to go back inside this instant!", I ordered them.

And then, Meelo jumped down from the roof.

"Taste my fury!". He farted on an Equalist's face, knocking him unconscious. _Not sure if I should feel disgusted, or should pity the poor fool._

"Meelo! Be careful!", I shouted at him.

Meelo sent three other blasts from his hands and rear, and made a small air shield around himself to send the remaining Equalists flying.

I sighed. "Never mind".

After binding the Equalists in a row in front of me, the children, and the White Lotus sentries, I ordered the head sentry:

"Take these Equalists and lock them in the temple's basement!". Once he led them away, I turned to the children. "Nice work, kids".

Shortly after that, Oogi's grunt was heard and the kids rushed out to the center of the courtyard.

Jinora exclaimed upon seeing Tenzin. "Dad!".

 _Now he shows up._

Oogi landed and Tenzin, the Avatar, the brothers, Asami and Saudorn dismount. Tenzin embraced his children.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all right!", Tenzin said.

Meelo climbed onto Tenzin's shoulder and pulled on his father's head. "We caught the bad guys", he boasted.

He turned towards me instantly. "You let them fight? Do you realize what could have happened?". _Like I didn't know that already._

"I would have been toast if it weren't for your kids". I folded my arms. "You should be proud. You taught them well". _Seriously, he did._ "And I know Aang would be proud too". Tenzin looked over his shoulder at Meelo and down at Jinora and Ikki. "Go on, be with your wife".

Before Tenzin left, Saudorn asked him:"Uh, Tenzin, can I join you? I know I'm not part of your fami-".

"But you've been living here as one of our own? Of course, Saudorn, you're welcome to join me". Tenzin smiled.

"Thanks, Tenzin. That means a lot to me coming from you".

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

As soon as I'd seen the Equalist airship over Air Temple Island, my blood ran cold. _Not the kids and Pema! If they dare touch them, I'll fuckin' annihilate them!_ Not hesitating, I turned to Tenzin.

"Call Oogi, now!", I spoke aloud.

Once Oogi landed on the ground, Tenzin and Team Avatar got on the sky bison. Before I did the same, I sent a quick psychic message towards Azara, telling her that I and Team Avatar wouldn't be able to help her because of the enemies threatening to overwhelm Air Temple Island. Then, I hopped on Oogi and Tenzin ordered the flying bison to go as fast as it could.

A few minutes later, we arrived, ready to beat the shit outta them Equalist sons of bitches; however, we were late for the party. Waaaaay late. Because it seemed everything had been taken care of. _Somebody gotta be kidding me_. Anyhow, following that, I suddenly detected a new presence on the island, a... a baby. _A baby._ _So, Pema has finally given birth._ Therefore, when Lin finished her sentence, I asked Tenzin to join him. Now I was following him to his room, the adrenalin died down, making me feel calmer and more reserved. Once we were at the threshold of the house, we heard the cry of a baby, prompting the airbending master to run down the hall and into the room.

I heard him utter aloud:"Pema!". When I walked into the room, I saw her hold a baby and smile.

"Tenzin", Pema muttered softly, her voice full of love.

Tenzin sat down on the bed and put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I'm here, Pema". His voice was gentle as well.

"Our new... son", his wife spoke, voice now trembling, handing the baby to Tenzin.

"Congratulations, Tenzin, Pema", I said softly, smiling warmly at Pema.

"Thank you, Saudorn. And I'm glad... you decided... to join us".

Tenzin put his finger on the baby's chin and it cooed. "Hello". Right then, Meelo, Ikki, and Jinora peered into the room. "Come, meet your new brother". Tenzin gestured.

Meelo walked into the room with his sisters. "A brother? Well, it's about time!", he commented excitedly.

Ikki talked to the baby:"Welcome, I'm Ikki, and this is Jinora and Meelo". Next, she pointed at me. "And this is Saudorn, he's our big sis's, Korra, boyfriend, so... he's kinda our big brother, too". _Aww..._ "We have a super great family and we're so happy that you're a part of it".

"What're you gonna name him?", Jinora asked her parents, putting her hands together in excitement. "Can I pick?".

"We already chose a name", Pema replied, resting her head on Tenzin's shoulder.

"Rohan".

Suddenly, there was a bright flash before my vision, then... I saw a pretty tall, and bald male figure, who was in his early 20s and who was wearing traditional Air Nomad attire, like Aang had done, standing on the halfly snow-covered, ying-yang platform of the airbending training area. Then, someone threw a small ball of snow at the back of his head, laughing joyfully. He turned around- Wait a minute, that was Rohan! That was adult, eh, nearly adult Rohan! What a handsome bastard. He turned around to look at the person who'd thrown the snowball at him. And, oh my fuckin' Goodness, was she beautiful. She was tall, as tall as Rohan, quite ripped, her complexion was similar to Jade's from Mortal Kombat 9, she had hazel eyes, her hair was brown/black, a combination of Sokka's warrior wolftail and two columns of long, temple hair. Her face reminded me of Korra- _Reminds me of Korra? Meaning... She's our daughter?_ Approaching Rohan, grinning that damnably similar, awesome grin like her mother did, she looked at him longingly; once she was inches away from him, they kissed.

 _Holy motherfuckin' greatness! I am to propose, marry Korra and father a daughter! And then that daughter of mine will fall in love with the grown-up version of Rohan! This is incredible!_

But, really, what was that? A flashba- No, this happened in the future. So, was it premonition? No, premonition is a strong feeling that a disaster is about to happen. How about precognition? No. No. No. Precognition is foreknowledge of an event. And I didn't know about any of this! So... what was it? What was i- Ah, clairvoyance! _Yes, that's gotta be it! Clairvoyance..._

Suddenly, I heard someone take two steps forwards.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but more airships are coming", Korra said sadly, Lin and Mako standing behind her. _Where the hell are Bolin and Asami? Maybe they're outside watching out for the Equalists._

I turned around to look at her, feeling warm in my heart. _So, we'll stay a couple after all._ Noticing me looking at her, Korra raised her eyebrow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?", she inquired me mildly surprisedly.

"Ah... Uh... Nothing! I...". I intended to tell her about what I'd seen, but decided against it. "I'll tell you later".

After that, as fast as possible, I turned to look at Tenzin, who was looking down at Rohan.

Ikki was worried. "Everything's not gonna be fine, is it, Daddy?".

Three minutes later, I, Korra, Tenzin, Lin and Mako went outside and joined Bolin and Asami, looking up at the incoming airships.

"What do you want to do, Tenzin?", Korra asked her mentor.

Tenzin sighed. "I need to protect my family, and get them as far away from this conflict as possible. If Amon got his hands on my children... I hate to even think of it".

"That's not gonna happen, Tenzin", I spoke sharply, "not while I and Azara are still alive".

Tenzin nodded at me approvingly.

"If you're leaving, then I'm going with you", Lin said.

"But-", Tenzin began.

"No arguments. You and your family are the last airbenders. There's no way in the world I'm letting Amon take your bending away". Lin made up her mind.

"Thank you, Lin". The airbending master nodded. Next, he turned to my girlfriend. "Korra, I want you to leave this island and hide for the time being", he instructed her.

Korra was determined. "I'm not giving up".

"I'm not asking you to", he softly assured her, "I sent word to the United Forces. They will be here soon. And once my family is safe, I will return. With the reinforcements, we can turn the tide in this war".

I was a bit skeptical. "Tenzin, are you sure the United Forces are able to... help us face Agrigula and Amon?".

"I'm not sure", he responded simply, then he smiled, "but I place my trust in them. They long for balance in the world as much as I do".

Upon hearing that, I respectfully bowed slightly. "Then I shall do the same, Master Tenzin".

As I stood up straight again, Korra directed Tenzin:"What you're saying is, we need to be patient". She sighed.

Tenzin put his hand on Korra's shoulder. "You're learning well". Korra brightened up straight away.

Shortly later, she embraced Tenzin, as he and his family prepared to leave.

"Stay safe, Korra", he spoke. Turning to me, he said:"I know I don't need to tell you what to do, Saudorn. But, please, never leave her alone". _Why do I have a feeling things will get worse for him?_

"I won't", I replied firmly, extending my hand for him to shake it, "may the Spirits be with you".

It was Korra's turn to shake Tenzin's hand. "You be safe too".

"Tenzin, if we're leaving, we'd better do it now", Lin, sitting on Oogi, urged.

Tenzin airbent himself onto the flying bison. "Oogi, yip yip!".

Oogi and the other sky bison, which was meant to be a ruse, flew away from the island, as we lookd up at them. Two Equalist airships began to chase them, as more airships invade the island. One airship shot out a cable near the team and Equalists came down on the island. The White Lotus guards and some martial art Air Acolytes ran in front of us and took their stances.

"Go! We'll hold them off!", He Cen shouted at us, "and Saudorn, take care of the Avatar! You hear me? Do take care of her!".

"I will!", I shouted back, forming a microorganism carpet, hopping on it, as Korra leaped on Naga.

"Everyone, climb on!", She spoke aloud. Mako, Bolin and Asami did as they were told. "Let's go, girl!", my girlfriend directed Naga.

Naga ran away as more Equalists came down and encircled the group of White Lotus sentries and martial art Air Acolytes, spinning their bolas as they began to fight. As we ran away, Bolin looked up and pointed at somethi- the Lieutenant!

"Mustache guy!", Bolin exclaimed.

The Lieutenant slid down the slope and jumped off to attack us. Before I used my powers to get rid of him, Naga jumped up and used her right paw to smack the Lieutenant off of the cliff face as we run past. _Damn, Naga, layeth the smacketh down!_ ( The Boulder:"You may be big, but you ain't bad" ).

"Nice one, Naga!", Korra complimented the polar bear-dog.

Naga ran to the pier and jumped into the water. Me, I used the 'carpet' to stay near the water surface. Underwater, Korra waterbent a big water bubble around them as Naga swam to safety. I looked up to see Republic City under siege. _But not for long. Enjoy victory while you can, motherfuckers. Soon we'll come back to K.Y.A._ ( Kick Your Ass ).

 _So you wanna come up on me!_

 _Chest out up on both feet!_

 _Puffed up, look down your nose!_

 _Attitude up on your tip-toes!_

 _Hope you know how it's gonna be!_

 _Blood and knuckles out in the street!_

 _Come at me like a drunk in a bar!_

 _You must like the taste of road tar!_

 _Woah, the end of you!_

 _Woah, the end of you!_

 _I - will - kick - your - ass!_

 _You cryin' pussy!_

 _I - will - kick - your - ass!_

 _You fuckin' sally girl!_

 _Run home, cry to mama!_

 _Don't come back here again._

 _Go home, and wash your skirt!_

 _And paint your nails_

 _and face like you've been._

 _I can't stand you!_

 _Can't even look at you!_

 _Don't wanna hear you cry!_

 _I just can't deal with fragile little boys!_

 _I'd rather see you die!_

 _So you sneak up from behind!_

 _A cheap shot like I was blind!_

 _You'd better make it the shot of the year!_

 _And when I get up, don't you be here!_

 _There's no place you can hide!_

 _So you'd better keep runnin'!_

 _Dress up like the girl you are!_

 _And hide out in the ladies' stall!_

 _Run home, cry to mama!_

 _Don't come back here again._

 _Go home, and wash your skirt!_

 _And paint your nails_

 _and face like you've been._

 _I can't stand you!_

 _Can't even look at you!_

 _Don't wanna hear you cry!_

 _I just can't deal with fragile little boys!_

 _I'd rather see you die!_

 _I - will - kick - your - ass!_

 _You cryin' pussy!_

 _I - will - kick - your - ass!_

 _You fuckin' sally girl!_

 _Run home, cry to mama!_

 _Don't come back here again._

 _Go home, and wash your skirt!_

 _And paint your nails_

 _and face like you've been._

 _I can't stand you!_

 _Can't even look at you!_

 _Don't wanna hear you cry!_

 _I just can't deal with fragile little boys!_

 _I'd rather see you die...!_

...

Narrator p.o.v.

As Tenzin made Oogi try to evade the Equalist airships, they were only coming closer and closer.

Lin spoke to him:"They're gaining on us!".

He hurriedly cracked the reins. "Faster, Oogi!".

Oogi sped up, but an Equalist airship shot out a big net at them. Lin metalbent her cables to break the net apart and wrapped her cable around the rope. She stood and looked at the family with sorrow as they looked at the airships in fear. She looked away before turning back at them.

"Whatever happens to me, don't turn back!", she shouted.

Tenzin turned his head to Lin. "Lin, what are you doing?!".

Lin ran and jumped off Oogi, reeling herself up and landing on the airship. She took her stance and ripped off a great section of the airship's metal skin. There was an explosion and it began to fall into the harbor below. Lin metalbent a panel to catapult herself to the other airship. Afterwards, she began to rip apart the airship, when a thin figure, accompanied by the Equalist grunts came up behind her.

"Well, well, well, aren't you the infamous former Republic City's Chief of Police - Lin Beifong", the figure said.

Lin turned around. "Whoever you think you are, you won't capture them", she stated sharply.

"Are you sure about that, Chief?". Another voice sounded behind the thin figure, a familiar, female voice. " 'Cause I'm the betting type, and I wanna bet, on you", Sojana spoke confidently.

"You", Lin growled.

"Oh, that is so sweet, Sojana. I think she likes you". Manoward laughed.

"And I do too, Hank". Sojana licked her lips. "I can't wait to suck on her pussy".

That made Lin scowl with disgust.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for? Boys, we need some sultry music over here".

At once, the airship's speakers blasted out loud a song.

"You first, Hank". Sojana gestured.

"Aw, ain't you sweet, Mothe- I mean, Sojana?".

Then, Manoward rushed towards Lin Beifong, a crazed, predatory grin plastered all over his face. And the song kept on blasting.

All night, you can feel all the blood it runs.

Dying, from the death of the machine gun.

Crying, on a field without mercy.

Death in - your eyes you have never seen.

Torment all the priests on earth!

Quarter all the enemies tonight!

Nail all their corpses to the cross!

Choose the dirty laughing from your face!

Cry waaar!

Cry waaar!

Cry waaar!

Flashlight, is taking all the flash from your face.

Torture, feels like the fastest - black race.

Dying, everyday it is the same.

Laughing, about the corpses in this game.

Torment all the priests on earth!

Quarter all the enemies tonight!

Nail all their corpses to the cross!

Choose the dirty laughing from your face!

Cry waaar!

Cry waaar!

Cry waaar!

Cry waaar...

...

Republic City, at a great drainage pipe near Yue Bay.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Once we'd arrived at our 'destination', for a little while, we watched in dismay as Air Temple Island was raided. Next, I placed my hand on Korra's shoulder.

"Korra, we should get moving", I advised her.

Korra looked at me, nodded simply, then looked away. I, then, escorted her into the tunnel.

...

Air Temple Island, late in the afternoon.

Lin's p.o.v.

It was raining, as I was kneeling in front of Amon.

"Tell me where the Avatar is and I'll let you keep your bending", he began to interrogate me.

I looked up at him defiantly. "I won't tell you anything, you monster".

"Very well", he said simply, then walked behind me.

I closed my eyes, and then, I felt Amon take away my bending. _For Korra._

I fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. After that, I heard someone addressing Amon. _Agrigula..._

"The Avatar escaped. But we have what we needed". Following that, I heard him addressing someone else. "Good work, Sojana, Manoward".

"So... My Lord, can I...?", the despicable man named Manoward said.

"She's all yours, and Sojana's. Have fun. Just don't break her".

And then, I heard him walked quickly to me, then he whispered in my ear:"Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll have so much fun with each other. And, of course, with Sojana".

Following this, he kissed me, his tongue invading my mouth. _You... disgusting pig._ Shortly after that, Manoward carried me on his arms and began to walk away. Nevertheless, I still heard Agrigula's last words before I blacked out.

"Since when I first came here, I had to hide my... appetite. Now it's time for me to have a great feast. Amon, you can have the White Lotus and other benders; me, I want the Air Acolytes, and the nonbenders...".

...

On the ship of the General of the United Forces, dawn of the next day.

Narrator's p.o.v.

The messenger reported:"General, I just received a wire from the Avatar. She says Amon and his forces have gained control of the city. How do you want to respond?".

"Tell her we will be arriving in three days' time. And that I look forwards to winning back Republic City, together".

The messenger saluted. "As you wish, General Iroh". Then, he hurried away.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	31. Chapter 27

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language and another rape scene. Prepare yourself ;) . I don't own the songs Funeral Hymn by Exodus and War Ensemble by Slayer. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXVII - War Ensemble!**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Air Temple Island, in a room in the Women's Dormitory, 10:00 P.M.

Lin's p.o.v.

I grunted slightly, gritting my teeth, refusing to let the scums have satisfaction over the fact that my hands were completely bound, and I was helpless against two naked bodies pressing so tightly again mine. The man named Hank was lying on his left side in front of me, thrusting deep inside me; his left hand's fingers intertwined with my right one's, and his right hand was squeezing my left breast roughly, sometimes teasing my sensitive nipple. The bitch named Sojana was lying behind me, her... 'manhood' moving in and out of my anus without mercy.

I didn't know when I'd been carried into that room, but I knew that when I came to, my hands were placed above my head, and I couldn't move them. My legs were spread wide, and that descpicable witch was... was burying her tongue inside me. And I gave out an involuntary groan of pleasure, which I rapidly suppressed upon realizing what she was trying to do to me. Then, the thin man appeared next to the bed, his hand holding his big shaft. Silently, but with a deranged grin, he knelt on the bed beside me and moved his penis to touch my right breast, especially my nipple, causing me to almost let out a gasp right then and there.

Next, he stooped down and sucked on the other breast, sometimes biting it pretty savagely, grinding my other nipple with his teeth. About three minutes later, this, combined with Sojana's tonguing, was too much for me this time, and I couldn't help but groan out loud, utterly humiliated. That was when his mouth descended on mine, forcing his tongue inside and humiliating me further. I'd thought of biting it, but he was so aggressive that it totally dominated the inside of my mouth. After a while, his mouth left mine so fast that I didn't even realize that Sojana had stopped sucking me, crawling over me and kissing me just as aggressively. This instant, I tried to move my face away from hers as I hated her more than her partner in crime; nonetheless, I froze as she sucked on my tongue enthusiastically, making me sigh sharply through my mouth, into hers.

Then, just as quickly as her mouth had attacked mine, it retreated, and I was left alone. For about an hour, I tried not to cry, I tried to focus on my hate and anger instead. When they was back for another round, I fought them, not wanting them to touch me, only to receive a stinging slap across the face. And then, my vision went black as Hank's crotch came down on my face, his member forcing its way in my mouth, down to my throat. I was pressed to inhale his hairy loins. Just as I was about to literally black out, his crotch was removed from my face. However, my relief was brief, as it was Sojana's turn to suffocate me. And it still surprised me to no end with the fact that she had a tool. A tool! They took turn tormenting me like that for how long, I don't remember, but I was left alone again.

The moment they returned, I was too weak to fight, that was when they decided to rape me. First, Hank crawled all over me and thrust his phallus in me. Just like that. Shortly later, he began to plunge in and out of me, causing me intense pain. After a while, Sojana replaced him, violating me while taunting and mocking me, prompting me to spit at her face in absolute disgust. Knowing no shame, the bitch opened her mouth and asked me to spit in it, which I didn't. Seeing that I didn't do what she wanted, she spat down on my face, grinning, then spat again. Next, she proceeded to lick my face, especially the area of my scars.

After a short while, she was replaced by Hank again, who humped me 'til ejaculation, pulling out of me and jerking off, shooting all over my face, my chest and stomach. Following the ejaculation, Sojana crawled all over me again, proceeding to lick the semen away. Before long, all of a sudden, she put my legs onto her shoulders, and thrust her cock deep in my anus.

Everything after that, was a blur.

When I was able to focus again, I was held in between Hank and Sojana. Now, as I said, I tried not to give in to their deplorable torment; nevertheless, they knew how to mess me up. Sojana with her neck biting, and Hank with his nipple pulling. Furthermore, they knew how to hit sensitive spots in both my holes; spots that drove me wild. And when the resistance was over, I was moaning and groaning for more. A few minutes after that, my hands was untied and I briskly wrapped them around my male tormentor's neck, responding to his thrusting, responding so 'well' that I was in sync with the assaults from the back and front.

Once I couldn't hold back my climax anymore, I let out a loud cry of all-out pleasure and came, feeling them do the same as well. As soon as we finished, I was a sweaty, stinking mess. And I was delighted the moment they resolved to have another round, me asking Sojana if I was able to face her, just as I'd done with my younger sister when we were only two horny teens. My Mistress said yes...

 _Spirits, what have I become?_

...

Republic City, in Republic City Park.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After going into the tunnel, after reporting psychically to Azara about our hiding place and after asking her to get Tanna and Anyu away from the conflict as fast as she could, the group of me, Korra, the brothers and Asami had concentrated on finding a safe and secure area to rest and plan our way for a counter-attack. And while we were doing that, we ran into the hobo guy who had befriended Korra when she'd just been a fresh-off-the-boat, Water Tribe, naive, teenage girl ( well, she still was all that at that point, but she improved quite a bit since then ), and he amicably led us towards an area where I did and will call "the Refugee Camp". There, benders and nonbenders alike shared the place quite harmonically, putting up a lot of make-shift tents together and helping each other out. I even saw many young and a considerable amount of grown-up and old couples consisting of benders and nonbenders, who expressed their love towards one another very lovingly and passionately.

After a short tour of the "Camp", our group chose a spot near its center and edge in order to keep an eye on either patrolling Equalists, or... wandering abominations. Once we settled down, we waited 'til Azara, Tanna, Anyu and some surviving metalbending police officers arrived; then, we began to discuss strategies ( which took two days straight ). A while later, we all were agreed to sent out a reconnaissance duo to gain more information about the enemies. Many volunteered to go; however, in the end, through the rock-paper-scissors game, I and Korra were assigned such duty ( with the Equalist outfits, of course, not surprisingly made by Azara ). And before we departed, Azara said, in a sly manner, that when we returned from the mission, there would be small gifts awaiting us. Not knowing what that was about, and being eager to go out, we could only nod in acknowledgement. And then, there we were, inside the park, standing behind a great crowd of nonbenders, who were cheering and celebrating "Republic City's Independence Day", with multiple Equalist airships patrolling in the sky, and with numerous Machine-Tanks on the city square and on the pathways, securing the places as tightly as the Imperial Japanese Army had done within Chinese cities during WW II.

( By the way, the bastards also had the gall to put a big-ass Amon mask over Avatar Aang's statue, and their banner on the statue's staff, either in honor of their leader or to insult Aang, or both. Whatever their intention was, they all deserved Big Boot to the face )

 _Damn, that's a lot of 'em Equalists. And a lot of Warslaves too. Wondering why the people are not afraid of them. Something's wrong here._

Casually, I shared my thoughts with my girlfriend, who was all business, delivering a few theories suggesting that either Agrigula and/or Amon pulled some chauvinistic shit on the people ( deducted and defined, naturally, by me; because there was no way in the bad places of the Spirit World that Korra knew what chauvinism means ) or they, somehow, caused the folks of Republic City to be hallucinated, seeing those monstrosities as normal Equalist troops. Or, by some means, they erased everyone's memory about the Warslaves ( now that was so Men in Black. Anyway, I know I should have known all about Agrigula's powers, for I created him, and then some, after all. Yet I hadn't planned that far ahead; that, plus the fact that my creations came alive, totally stopped me from "completing" them. So... I didn't, and still don't know, okay? ). Quickly, I complimented Korra on those theories; they were good ones, seriously. Nonetheless, Korra just brushed it aside, and soberly told me to focus on the event. So I did. And I saw Hiroshi, who was standing on a stair-bridge, accompanied by an Equalist troop and the Lieutenant himself. Next, Hiroshi began to address the crowd:

"It is a glorious day, my Equalist brothers and sisters. Amon has torn down the tyrannical bending government. He has declared bending illegal". _Oh, fuck you._ "And he has the Avatar on the run". _Highly unlikely. More like... tactical retreat._ "Our great leader has a vision for the future: One day soon, bending will no longer exist and we will live in a world where everyone is finally equal!". _And then, you get your ass chewed by Agrigula, and then he'll deliver this world to Zulathulhu on a big fuckin' silver plate. Whatcha gonna do, when the big bad wolf- I mean, octopus, comes for you?_ Hiroshi punched his fist into the air. "The United Forces are on their way right now to try and stop that dream, but we will prevail!".

Hiroshi opened both his arms out with confidence and the crowd cheered again, and raised their arms up in support. Then, Korra turned towards me and nodded, signaling that the mission of that day was at an end; therefore, we turned around to walk away. After that, we reached the shrubs and bushes surrounding our make-shift "entrance" to enemy territories, making our way through the foliage. Behind the shrubs and bushes, there was a giant rock, and Korra earthbent the rock as we jumped into the hole. As we descend, my girlfriend made the rock move back into position. Once we were a bit deeper inside the tunnel, we took off our masks, walking down a metal and somewhat rusty corridor.

"Can you believe Hiroshi? "The Avatar is on the run". I'm not running from anyone". The young Avatar rolled her eyes. "Let's go back up there". Korra halted beside me, causing me to halt as well. "And knock some heads". She punched her fist into her palm. "They'll never know what hit 'em".

As she turned around, intending to go back up to the surface, I spoke to her:"As much as I like to kick those pompous and arrogant pieces of shit's asses, I don't think doing it now is a good idea". Korra continued to walk away but slowly as she listened to me. "General Iroh's coming with an entire fleet of battleships". Korra stopped walking and raised her eyebrows. "Well, I read Tenzin's mind, okay? He sent a wire to Iroh while he was still inside the Police Headquarters with Saikhan and others. Anyway". I came up to her and intended to place my hand on her shoulder, yet decided against it. I didn't want to trigger her bad memory about the rape thing. "With Iroh as our reinforcement, we can win this war".

"I hate this being patient stuff". My girlfriend huffed in annoyance, turning back to continue our journey down the corridor while I followed her.

 _And I have to be patient towards YOU, sweetheart._

When we were back to the "Camp", we saw Azara, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Tanna and Anyu sitting on crates as they watched Pabu look at a sprig of leaves in Bolin's hand. He moved it up and down as Pabu performed a backflip. Pabu, then, crawled up Bolin's leg and onto his shoulder as he probably detected movements from afar. The group turned their heads towards us, slowly standing up and striding forwards to greet us, Azara holding a fairly big burlap sack over her shoulder.

"So, how were things up there?", Asami asked us.

"Pretty dire. Amon has banned bending. It's like a dictatorship up above", I stated matter-of-factly.

Upon hearing the news, Asami, Tanna and Anyu gasped aloud, shocked. "Amon bans bending? That's horrible! I can't believe he's willing to do such a thing", Tanna muttered.

"He's evil is what he is". Anyu said firmly, folding her arms; her look showed that she was trying hard to not be angry.

"Or maybe Agrigula just pulled his strings", Azara calmly suggested, "Amon may hate bending, but he's not stupid as to brand the word "dictator" ( _dicktator more like_ ) right on his forehead like that. If all matters were dealt by him and him alone, he would have just restricted bending to the fullest extent, while choosing a group of people each day and taking their bending away. That way, it'd be more subtle. Agrigula wanted a scapegoat, just so he could secretly bring about whatever machinations he had in mind for this world, and Amon is the perfect target. However, whether Amon is the culprit, or the victim, his ass needs to be kicked. And talk about kicking ass...". She grinned, then put the burlap sack down, and took out... an electric guitar!

Putting it towards me, Azara stated:"This is my copy of the very guitar Gary Holt used during Exodus's Shovel Headed Tour Machine concert at Wacken, in what year, you already knew. I know you're a big fan of Exodus, so I made this for you. And-".

Before she could finish her sentence, I let out a loud, joyful exclaimation, hugging my female mentor tightly, then lifted her up in the air and twirled her around delightedly. When I put her down, I noticed Bolin and Korra stare at me with mouth agape, while Mako gave me a look of distaste, and Tanna and Anyu a look of exuberant jealousy. Plus, other people were staring at me as well. Fleetly, I gently pushed Azara away, coughing awkwardly. Nonetheless, I still couldn't contain my excitement.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, Azara. This- this is-", I began.

"Pretty rude", Azara cut me off, then smiled, "but I forgive you. And because I used materials that are... different from here, or from where you're from, so this guitar is very special. You'll see, in time. But for right now, let's just say... you are free to shred whenever you desire without worrying about its battery, or its other source of power. For it is. Power" ( and I nearly screamed out loud Manowar's The Power's lyrics right then and there xD ).

"Whoa, that is amazing, Azara. You're the best mentor ever". I grinned and moved to give her a heartwarming embrace. Then, I quickly turned to Korra. "But not as great as Tenzin, for sure".

"Uh huh" was her only reply.

That made Azara chuckle. Next, she reached inside the sack so as to bring something else out. Nevertheless, she was interrupted once again, this time by Bolin.

"Uh, pardon me for not knowing what you guys were talking about. But who's Gahry... Hoh? And what's Essodus?", he inquired me and Azara.

Now, normally, I would quite be offended when someone mispronounced Gary Holt's name and the word "Exodus", yet knowing it was Bolin ( and probably everyone in the World of Benders ) who'd asked that, I just gave out a small laugh. After that, I winked at him. "A god, and a band of gods".

As Bolin intended to ask more, Anyu, from out of nowhere, stood next to him and gave him an awfully hard pinch right on the arm to prevent him from blabbering further, him giving out a pained, yet funny "yow!", rubbing his "wound" and giving his girlfriend a fakely indignant look. Nodding graciously, Azara approached Korra, her gifts in her hand, and took my girlfriend's, then said:

"For you, Avatar Korra, I have two things. First of all, is paint; now you must be familiar with the tales of the Painted Lady, whom Katara disguised as in order to save a Fire Nation village, using... paint. Now I'm gonna put this symbol on the back of your left hand". Azara put the tip of her index finger on the back of Korra's hand, then she began to... draw? She began to draw, using some kind of magic-like material manipulation, whatever tattoo design she'd had in mind for the young Avatar. "Don't worry about your skin, the paint is not poisonous, so you won't be poisoned, or... allergic. Also, it's permanent; but if you don't like it anymore, I can always remove it for you".

As soon as Azara finished, there was a small, fairly brief, otherworldly, yet beautiful light of blue and gold flashing from the tattoo, making the group around Korra, including me, utter in wonder.

"Whoaa".

When the light faded, Azara slowly stepped away, Korra looking down at the tattoo. It was a blue dove. Upon seeing it, the girls squealed with delight, at the sight of such alluring artistry ( if you wanna know what it looks like, Google 'blue dove tattoo', there will be several pictures in the All category. Look at the 6th and 7th pictures. The design looks like that, only with more... otherworldly details ).

"A dove", Korra said, "but what does it mean?".

"Freedom, Korra. Freedom". Azara smiled. "The dove is also the symbol of peace. You are the Avatar, so it's fitting that you have a tattoo about freedom and peace". _And love. Damn, Azara is one smart wo- uh, being._ "In addition, I have another gift for you". Azara disclosed the other thing in her hand, a fairly long shaft of icy-blue crystal, with short, small, mystical and light green gem-made necklace attaching to it. "This is a piece of the Ghasar Crystal, an artifact of immense and unlimited powers, harvested from a world far away from here. It can be used directly as a whole, but in the shape of a tiny segment, it functions more like a talisman; therefore, it can only work by itself, and once. Now I'm going to put it around your neck, then bond it with your inner spirit, just so it is able to come to your help in your darkest moment. Now, please, close your eyes".

Following that, Azara fastened the majestic necklace 'round the young Avatar's neck; then, stepping a couple of steps away, again, she began to move her hands about, seeing that my girlfriend had already done what she was told to do, as they, and the necklace, glowed, floating lightly horizontally. It looked like she was hallowing it, or blessing it, or performing some cosmic rites, or like she'd said, "bonding" it with Korra's inner spirit, whatever. Once she was done, the necklace gave out a green-and-blue halo, shining brightly for a little bit, its light irradiating my beloved's face ( _Goodness, she looks so lovely with her eyes closed like that_ ), before fading away, the 'talisman' floating back down onto the upper area of Korra's chest.

When my girlfriend opened her eyes, she let out a peaceful and somewhat... enlightening sigh. "I... I feel so light in my heart. It's like... every problem I've seen, faced and experienced before no longer troubles to me. I feel like I can solve them all at once!". She was amazed. "But wait a minute, is this what spiritual enlightenment means?".

"Close enough". My female mentor winked at her. "The Ghasar Crystal is one of the very first sources of light, created not only to keep a darker darkness at bay, but also to fuse with the original, neutral darkness, forming a state you may call... 'balance'; therefore, it has healing and repairing properties, used to fix/lift one or many indivuduals' physical and psychological damage/burden. Like I said, you are the Avatar; thus, you carry burdens of greater weight than many others. And being so young doesn't help either. That's why I want you to wear this necklace, to lighten your state of mind, and also to protect yourself when imminent danger, that is our enemies, threatens your whole being".

Upon hearing the Guardian's wise words, the young Avatar was humble, silently bowing down to the being before her. Then, she embraced her in a sisterly manner. Just as they finished embracing each other, the hobo approached from afar, speaking jovially:

"Welcome back! Hope you guys worked up an appetite 'cuz dinner is served".

When we came to the hobo's dining spot, there was a pot of orange-brown gruel and a log in front of it. As we sat around the pot, the hobo stirred it and ladled the insides into the bowls, then placed each bowl on the log.

"Thanks so much again for letting us hide out with you the past few days", Korra said.

"Honored to oblige". The hobo smiled, replying. "My associates and I heartily oppose Amon's so called "Equalist policies". We got benders and non-benders living together down here, but do you see us fightin'? No siree". The hobo hugged himself. "We figured out how to harmoniously co-exist".

Bolin bowed to the hobo. "You are a wise and noble hobo". Next, he spooned up the gruel into his mouth. "Mmm... This is". He brought the bowl up towards the hobo, while Asami, sitting next to him, and Tanna, sitting next to me, stirred the insides of the bowl. "The best tasting street gruel I've ever had! Seriously". Asami and Tanna lifted the spoon up from the bowl and stared at their bowls.

The hobo responded enthusiastically:"I culled it from the finest dumpers the city has to offer".

Upon hearing that, Asami and Tanna, who already had the spoons in their mouths, closed and opened back their eyes, looking slightly sick, Asami spitting the gruel back into the bowls and coughing, and Tanna discreetly ejecting the soupy thing onto the ground.

After that, Tanna looked at me uncertainly. Chuckling, I said, putting my bowl back onto the log, after slurping away the gruel in the spoon:"Just put it next to mine, I'll take care of it", causing Anyu and Azara to laugh slightly.

As for Asami, she discreetly put the bowl down on the floor behind her back. I sensed Pabu run towards the bowl and squeaked, licking the gruel like a cat. After dinner, the hobo took the pot and bowls away, saying that it was other people's turn to eat, prompting Asami and Tanna to look sick again. Following that, we talked strategies, once more, into the night. Once some of us felt sleepy already, we stopped the discussion and went to sleep. Mako, Bolin and Asami lay down on the floor in their sleeping bags, Pabu lay above Bolin's head, while Tanna and Anyu were ready to sit next to Korra, leaning against Naga. Before Korra sat down, I said goodnight to her and haltingly kissed her on the cheek, her trembling a little bit, but she didn't protest at all.

Afterwards, I followed Azara into another part of the tunnel system, her putting up the time barrier to prevent anyone to interrupt us. Next, she took my left hand and began to draw the same dove tattoo on its back, only with the colors black and red now, me grinning all the time like an idiot.

"You are a genius, you know that, Azara?", I said, "Telling the Avatar the tattoo is a symbol of peace and freedom, which is true, yet leaving out the last symbol, love. You are just brilliant!".

"Well, they didn't call me Azara the Wise for nothing". My female mentor giggled. "Anyhow, I'm gonna bind you to her to strengthen the link which you've already psychically set up with her mind".

Two minutes later, as she finished drawing, I felt some kind of... strange, cosmic power coursing through me. There was the same small, fairly brief, unearthly, yet beautiful light, but with the color of dark red, flashing from the tattoo. Right away, I was able to sense Korra's whereabouts, her thoughts and emotions, and even her physical functions without even trying! It was kinda cool, but also... awkward because of the female's other functions. I told Azara this and she immediately had two solutions: If I concentrated hard enough, I could block some of Korra's bodily functions' feedbacks from entering my mind, or I just had to totally disconnect my mind from hers whenever I felt uncomfortable. So I proceeded to do that.

Once I was done. I was to try and create a nearly exact copy of myself, and after that, I was to follow Azara to attend an important meeting outside the World of Bender. Talk about exciting things!

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After receiving that kiss from Saudorn, part of me was pleased and happy, part of me was... ready to be reminded of that terrible event. Nevertheless, I, in some way, was only slightly bothered, which was pretty strange. _Maybe it's because of the necklace._ Subconsciously, my hand reached for the necklace and caressed it. Shortly later, I felt someone touch my right hand; looking down, I saw that it was Anyu, the Northern Water Tribe girl.

"Time to sleep, Korra", she gently reminded me.

"Thanks, Anyu. Goodnight". I sat down next to her.

"Goodnight, Korra. Nighty-night, Tanna".

"Nighty-night, Anyu".

I began to closed my eyes. And... And... And... I couldn't sleep! For some reason, I just couldn't sleep! So, for a long while, I sat there, and stared straight ahead. Shortly later, I heard Anyu's voice.

"Can't sleep either?".

"No, I have this awful pit in my stomach". I shook my head.

"Me too".

"It's so crazy". I shrugged. "A few months ago I was in the South Pole practicing for my firebending test, and now I'm in the middle". I turned to Anyu. "Of an all out war".

The other girl sighed. "I know. We didn't even know each other then, but I heard of you anyway. Nonetheless, I didn't even know Saudorn! The Equalists were but a small group of bending haters too, and there was no this... Agrigula character".

Upon hearing that, I was reminded of the fact that Anyu was a citizen of Republic City as well. Curious, I asked her:"So how did you live normally in this city anyway? I... don't meant that this city is not great, just that...".

"Because of the crime rate and the Equalist Movement?". Anyu finished my sentence for me.

"Yeah". I nodded eagerly.

"Well, since I'm a pretty great bender myself, not boasting, and I'm living and working quite far away from criminals' territories, so I don't usually encounter scumbags much, save for the time when I rescued Tanna from being raped by some Triad slimecores", explained Anyu.

"Wow, lucky for he-".

"Don't, Korra. When it comes to rape, comparison is NOT a good idea". Anyu cut me off. "I don't mean to be rude, and I know that you were isolated from the world when you were younger. That, I heard from Saudorn. Anyway, I just want to tell you that what happened to you was very, very horrible; notwithstanding, if you were Tanna, you'd find that experience was not the fun kind. And do NOT tell anyone else: Tanna still has nightmare about it. And so, I don't wanna hear you do another comparison ever again, alright?".

I flinched. "Sorry", I muttered.

When she saw my expression, her face softened somewhat. "No, I'm sorry, I tried not to be rude, but I hurt your feelings. I know you were a victim. But you gotta be more fair when it comes to dealing with the people. You are the Avatar, after all".

"I will try, thanks for your words". I nodded. "Now I should probably try to get some sleep. Goodnight".

"Goodnight".

Next, I turned away from Anyu and leaned against Naga, slightly cursing myself inwardly for being so insensitive. _I should have know better._ However, right when I started feeling sad, the crystal from the necklace shone a little bit, like it was reminding me not to burden myself with more emotions. Inhaling deeply then exhaling calmly, I closed my eyes, emptying my thoughts about the conversation with Anyu.

...

Air Temple Island, that same evening.

Agrigula's p.o.v.

I watch Amon stand still, me still gnawing at the crimson leg bone of my previous victim, as The Lieutenant brought a blindfolded metalbending cop towards the Equalist leader. The Lieutenant roughly shoved the human down on his knees, who was groaning. Next, Amon's second-in-command slided the blindfold off his head. The wretched thing appeared disoriented. Amon walked towards him.

"You will now be cleansed of your impurity". The human worm began to breathe in a panicked manner, as Amon's palm slowly descended upon his forehead. Once Amon's thumb touched the spot, the pathetic weakling gasped and collapsed on the ground, weakened. "Next", Amon said simply.

Following that, I looked at the Lieutenant walk over to another human cop, followed by a long line of blindfolded cops and White Lotus guards, grabbing his shoulder. The human gasped in fear as he was led towards Amon. Chuckling to myself, I turned to one of the Warslaves and motioned for him to push forth my next meal, a teenage, nonbending girl no older than thirteen, ignoring the helpless pleas from her mother. Upon seeing me, she knelt down on her knees, sobbing, begging me to spare her. Grinning amusedly, I used my tendrils to pick her up, covering her mouth, and brought her before me.

"Don't worry, little one, it'll be very fast, you won't feel anything. However, I, on the other hand, no pun intended". I gleefully brought my swordfish arm close to her. "Need to have a taste of you".

Slowly, I moved the blade forwards, puncturing the fabric of her shirt, then cut it off. As the piece of shirt fell down, her whitish, smooth, young flesh was exposed. Gladly, I put my long tongue out and licked her delicious stomach and chest, causing her to whimper worthlessly. My wet tongue, then, moved to her face, giving more of the taste of human fear, despair and weakness. Personally, I'd like to have fun with her for a while 'til the young thing broke, but I was hungrier than eager to toy with her. Therefore, suddenly, I put her head in my mouth and crushed it to bits. _Mmm... I love the taste of sweet, young humans in the evening. Taste like... victory._

Once I killed the little human girl, her mother screamed aloud in horror and anguish, cursing at me and calling her daughter's name, trying to break free from another of the Warslaves' grip. _Ah, yesssss, let your emotions come to me. Feed me. Feed meeeee... Feed my ears and eyes, feed my existence, feed my one purpose in life. Feed me a sight so grim. Feed me, your funeral hymn._

 _Let not the sun go down on my wrath!_

 _I let it shake the world!_

 _Vengeance is the grudge I bear!_

 _Flag of reckoning unfurled!_

 _You are the architect_

 _of your own demise,_

 _so smile no more!_

 _I am the gatekeeper,_

 _and you are mine forevermore!_

 _Come greet the reaper!_

 _You know the time is nigh._

 _This is the day - of reckoning,_

 _your time to die!_

 _Brave men, they spin in fear_

 _at the sound of my voice!_

 _Say goodbye to life so dear._

 _You no longer have a choice!_

 _Burnt black and silent!_

 _Rust and blood_

 _upon my reaper's blade!_

 _I come collect the tolls,_

 _gather up all the debts unpaid!_

 _I call when you least expect_

 _but when you deserve it the most!_

 _Behold the timekeeper!_

 _The end is getting close!_

 _Come greet the reaper!_

 _You know the time is nigh._

 _This is the day - of reckoning,_

 _your time to die!_

 _Brave men, they spin in fear_

 _at the sound of my voice!_

 _Say goodbye to life so dear._

 _You no longer have a choice!_

 _The dead - no longer have_

 _a cross to bear!_

 _The dead - no longer have_

 _need - to despair!_

 _Death - has come_

 _and set the snare!_

 _Death - will come_

 _when you're unaware!_

 _The misbegotten have the gall_

 _to think them safe and sound!_

 _They try to cheat the reaper!_

 _Scatter, hide, no matter, found!_

 _The wheel of life is standing still._

 _For them, it turns no more!_

 _Now comes the soul keeper_

 _and you all become my whores!_

 _Come greet the reaper!_

 _You know the time is nigh._

 _This is the day - of reckoning,_

 _your time to die!_

 _Brave men, they spin in fear_

 _at the sound of my voice!_

 _Say goodbye to life so dear._

 _You no longer have a choice...!_

...

Republic City, Yue Bay.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After I'd finished spending time with Azara, I returned to the World of Benders with her, her telling me to go to sleep straight away, and it was around 3:00 A.M. As for her, she would be standing guard as she didn't know what sleep was anyway. Approaching a sleeping Korra, I gently kissed her forehead, then lightly created a microorganism mattress and put it down on the ground about two feet away from Naga and the girls. After that, I lay down and fell asleep at once.

The next morning ( this morning ), I, Azara, Korra, Mako, Bolin, Asami and Anyu ( we voted for Tanna to stay back in the 'Camp' as she insisted on following us. It was because she didn't know much about fighting stuff ), decided to go to Yue Bay and assisted General Iroh in any way we could. Mako was standing at the entrance of the tunnel leading to the hideout, leaning against the side and looking out carefully.

"Coast is clear". He nodded to the rest of us.

Next, we slowly climbed up a flight of stairs beside the entrance, which led to a platform overlooking the bay. As we knelt down behind the railings to get into position, Bolin took out a telescope, which he'd taken fron an Equalist the first night we spent in the 'Camp', as an undisciplined group of Equalist grunts happened to approached the place, intending to have some wild, carnal party underground, and looked around. The bay was thick with fog and Air Temple Island could barely be seen. Then, Bolin looked to the right and a flock of lizard-crows flew by.

"Once The United Forces arrive", Korra said, "we need to be ready to help them.

Bolin and Asami turned to look at her.

At that moment, Mako announced:"They're here". We all immediately turned our heads towards the water.

...

On the ship of the General of the United Forces.

Narrator's p.o.v.

General Iroh was looking at the sea suspiciously.

"Hmm... Amon had to know we were coming, so why aren't we meeting any resistance?".

...

Saudorn's p.o.v.

"Wait a second". My girlfriend looked around. "Where are the Equalist...". She stood up, staring at the sky behind the factory. "... airships?". _That's odd._

I turned to Azara and Anyu, seeing suspicion in their eyes also. Mako took Bolin's telescope and ran further down the platform to scout, looking through the telescope.

"I don't see any Machine-Tank either", he added. _Okay, this is very odd. Could it be...?_

Korra looked very confused. Then, she turned towards me to look for answers. I said:"Just wait and see".

Now we watched the fleet slowly make their way in. Suddenly, an explosion was heard somewhere afar, and one of the battleships shook. _Fuckin' hell, naval mines!_

"It's a trap!", I shouted.

As we watched the fleet of ships get fucked up from below, Korra instantly jumped over the railings, me shouting her name, intending to stop her, her bending a spout to cushion her dive, and diving into the water. At once, I turned to Anyu.

"What are you waiting for? Go, go! Keep her safe!".

Simply nodding, the Northern Water Tribe girl jumped and dived into the water as well, swimming after Korra. Right at that moment, we heard something like the rumble of motors. _No fuckin' way..._ I turned to look at my female mentor; and from the look in her eyes, I think she knew.

Mako, having walked back to us, was confused. "What is that sound?", he wondered aloud.

While we were looking for the source of the sound, turning towards the city, the motor engines sounded louder. Mako fleetly raised the telescope up to look. From afar, there was a flying shape in the sky. Next, more shapes joined in. When they were within our range of vision, we saw that it was a group of biplanes flying out from behind a building and making their way towards the battlefleet. As soon as we saw the first group, another group flew in, rapidly approaching the ships. Mako, Bolin and Asami, all had a look of disbelief on their faces, with Mako continuing to survey the biplanes with the telescope.

"Where does Hiroshi find the time to keep inventing new evil machines?", Bolin exclaimed.

"Alright, Mako, Bolin, Asami, stay put. I and Azara are going to have some fun with these flying bastards" ( Sokka:"And this is Katara, my flying sister" ), I directed the rest of the group. As I turned to Azara once more, I grinned at her. "Wanna smash some shit up?". ( yeah, I'd seen her fourth ability during the meeting with Esillith and others of his 'children' )

Azara grinned back. "You know it's my current job".

Once she finished her sentence, I told the others to move back as I did the same, watching Azara transform into her own version of She-Rulk, clothes torn, hair getting longer, conveniently covering her red breasts. The others gasped aloud as they saw Azara's 'second form', Bolin even staring at her lustily.

"LET'S GO, SAUDORN. SEE WHO BRINGS DOWN MORE ENEMIES THAN WHO!".

And, with that, she jumped a long jump away, 'landing' on a biplane and proceeding to tear it down to shreds. Not wasting time, I formed a Green Goblin's Goblin Glider-shaped microorganism platform, jumped on it and sped away towards the scene of battle, yelling:"WAAAAR ENSEMBLE!", moving to intercept a biplane as it was ready to drop a bomb.

 _Propaganda death ensemble,_

 _burial to be!_

Quickly, I put a bunch of microorganisms on the biplane's lower surface and the bomb, maneuvering them far up in the air and making the bomb explode.

 _Corpses rotting through the night_

 _in blood-laced misery!_

 _One down._ I swiftly looked for another target, creating 'bullets' around me, approaching it and shooting it down.

 _Scorched earth - the policy,_

 _the reason for the singe!_

 _Two._ I chose another target, moving behind and below it: One of the Equalist biplanes rotating itself to the side slightly and flying down to one of the ships. Two soldiers on board firebent flames into the turret, while the third soldier intended to firebend point blank towards the Equalist plane. _It will dodge the blast. Time to slow it down._ I made the microorganisms on that plane 'help' me 'grip' it, decelerating it. Then, the blast hit it. Before flying away, I gave the soldiers, who looked on confusedly, a thumb-up.

 _The pendulum - it shaves the blade,_

 _strafing - air blood raid...!_

 _Three down._ Next targets: Four planes heading towards Korra as she was connected to a water spout, high in the air. Korra moved her hands around in a circular motion, raising an ice spike, causing one of the planes to crash into it, one of its wings broke off. Before the other planes came at my girlfriend, I 'picked 'em up', 'hurled 'em away' and made 'em 'catch flames'. However, the first plane skidded along the surface of the water and slammed into Korra's water spout. The spout immediately disintegrated and Korra was falling into the water.

"Korra!", I shouted her name.

Just as I was about to come to her rescue, out of the blue, Anyu rose from the water, bending a big water sphere towards Korra, 'catching' her, letting it fall with less speed than before. After that, sensing a biplane approaching her, Anyu cut the part of the spout that held her lower body, somersaulting away, not forgeting to move the spout like a whip and smashed the flying machine to pieces! On her way down, she bent the water to cushion her fall. _Damn, that girl kicks ass!_

Following that, I moved away, choosing other targets. The rest of War Ensemble rocked in my head.

 _Infiltration - push reserves,_

 _encircle the front lines!_

 _Supreme art of strategy,_

 _playing on the minds!_

 _Bombard 'til submission!_

 _Take all to their graves!_

 _Indication of triumph,_

 _the number that are dead!_

 _Sport the war! War support!_

 _The sport is war, total war!_

 _When victory's a massacre!_

 _The final swing is not a drill!_

 _It's how many people I can kill!_

 _Sport the war! War support!_

 _The sport is war, total war!_

 _When victory's really survival!_

 _The final swing is not a drill!_

 _It's how many people I can kill...!_

 _Be dead fiend from above_

 _when darkness falls._

 _Descend onto my sights,_

 _your fallen walls._

 _Spearheads break through the lines._

 _Flanked all around._

 _Soldiers of attrition_

 _forward - their - ground!_

 _Regime prophetic age,_

 _old in its time._

 _Flowing veins run on through,_

 _deep in the Rhine._

 _Center of the web._

 _All battles scored._

 _What is our war crime_

 _era forevermore?_

 _WAR!_

 _Propaganda war ensemble,_

 _burial to be!_

 _Bones shining by the night_

 _in blood-laced misery!_

 _Campaign of elimination!_

 _Twisted psychology!_

 _When victory is to survive_

 _and death is defeat!_

 _Sport the war! War support!_

 _The sport is war, total war!_

 _When the end is a slaughter!_

 _The final swing is not a drill!_

 _It's how many people I can kill...!_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	32. Chapter 28

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language and a smut scene. I don't own the songs Behind Space by In Flames and Pain's Invention, Madness by Dark Angel. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXVIII - Horror and Pain**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, Skirmish over Yue Bay.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After wrecking countless of Equalist biplanes, I concentrated on helping Korra and Anyu rescue as many distressed personnels of the United Forces as possible, some on board a flaming-yet-still-functioning ship, some trapped in the sinking ones, some about to drown, having been thrown off the ships because of explosive impacts, etc... And during all this time, Azara was still destroying biplanes left and right. Judging from the advantages we had, we thought we could turn the table on our enemies' asses, but we were wrong... For their reinforcement came. More biplanes, this time with Hiroshi Sato himself and the siblings as the heads. _The heads of a flying, three-headed drago- Holy fuckin' nuts, are those... Mutalisks and Guardians from Starcraft and Cacodemons from Doom? And how is it possible that those Guardians fly so fast?_ Alarmed, I connected my consciousness to Korra's and Anyu's.

 _Korra, Anyu, get General Iroh and everyone else away from here, now!_

 _What about you and Azara?_ ( Korra )

 _We'll slow 'em down as long as we can. Go!_

 _Saudorn, wait! Please, be careful._ ( Anyu )

 _You two too. And don't try to come back and help us, it's too dangerous._

 _We will, and we won't. Just... don't let yourself get killed._ ( Korra )

 _No, I won't. And, no, I won't._ ( GCN:"Minus 5 sins!" )

After that, I disconnected from their minds. Not wasting time, the young Avatar and the young Northern Water Tribe girl did what they were told. I sighed. _If only you knew, Korra._ Next, I connected to Azara.

 _Did you see that? The Guardians are somehow... changed. I hope these are not under Sarah's command. I hate to think about Zulathulhu's forces subjugating the Zerg, either brainwashing their leader or forcing her to join them._

 _Don't worry, these are not entirely from Sarah's swarm, and your biggest childhood gaming crush is safe and sound, together with Jim Raynor and Zeratul-_

 _Wait, what? You meant Zeratul's still alive? I thought-_

 _When Zulathulhu's forces entered many realities, the timelines there were all messed up, some not-so-badly, some badly, and some severely. Starcraft and the World of Benders are, luckily, two of the realities which are consider fairly stable, especially the latter. And in case you wonder why, it's because I arrived here first, being the Guardian, a being familiar and balanced with space time continuum, and all. But I'll explain the rest later. Here, take Hejusha, for here they come._

Jumping away from a sinking ship, my female mentor landed on another burning, sinking ship, which was where I was standing, and gave me her whip. Next, without a word, she jumped high, towards the fast approaching, mixing, flying horde of people, machines and monsters, ready to rip and tear. Quickly forming a microorganism whip, I created a 'Hoverboard', jumped on it and sped forwards, meeting the opposite force.

First, I intended to aim for Hiroshi, while Azara was flanking the group's left side, yet he briskly flew his plane out of reach, targetting battleships that still had United Forces personnels on them. _Coward._ However, I was soon engaged by two Equalist biplanes controlled by just two grunts. _Fine, whatever comes my way._ Coolly, flew straight ahead, getting in between the planes, and cut them in halves like cakes. Next, I moved to engage two Mutalisks, narrowly dodging their Glaive Wurm projectiles, dispatching them by slicing them to pieces and rapidly fabricate a round, microorganism protective shield around me to prevent getting hit by their acidic blood.

Then, I was knocked back by a glob of explosive acid from a Guardian. _Now the Guardian is able to launch air-to-air attack as well? Talk about biological violation! This is unacceptable!_ Using the rest of the protective shield to form a giant spear, I sent it towards the damn thing and moved forwards as well. Not hesitating, the Guardian spat forth volley after volley of explosive globs, me dodging the intense barrage, controlling the spear, trying not to let it get damaged too much. When the spear was inches from the huge monster, it suddenly moved left, avoiding the spear completely! _That was unexpected. But I improvise._ Immediately, I morphed my microorganism whip into a big spiky morning star-shaped ball ( the morning star, including the long/short handle, was a medieval weapon ), while putting Hejusha away, and cast it straight up to the monster's face, effectively eliminating it.

That was when I sensed a combined volley of electrical spheres, Glaive Wurms and lightning balls heading my way very fast.

 _You're welcome to try._

Smirking, I dissolved my 'Hoverboard' to let myself fall through the air, 'dodging' the deadly projectiles in the process, forming a giant microorganism disc a foot below, and doing a mid-air somersault to land on the thing. Quickly, in retaliation, I fabricated two big 'grenades' and sent them up towards the two incoming Equalist biplanes, blowing them up to beautiful bits. Next, I dodged the others, three Mutalisks and two Cacodemons, that intended to either collide with me or eat me, flying away, constructing another whip, lashing and slashing at or dodging any enemy individual happening to conflict with my evading path, completely obliterating the unlucky ones. When I felt the time was right, I formed safety clasps over my feet and floating, flaming 'rocks' at my sides, then made the disc 'perform' an upward, pretty sharp, vertical roll, taking me off from my pursuers' chasing path, me dropping the big, heavy, aflame objects upon the monstrosities. _Cities on flame now, with rock and roll. Yea-yeah! Also, rocks beat air-monsters._ ( Sokka:"Haa! Sneak attack!" )

Notwithstanding, my celebrating time was not for long. Because, I was interrupted.

 _Been having fun lately?_

 _That voice! Fu- Furroh?_

I turned around to see a biplane approaching swiftly. As it closed the distance between us, I saw that the pilot didn't wear/had taken off his Equalist mask, showing off his young, handsome fa-

 _Here's a little more fun!_

 _Shit!_ I fleetly avoided seven electrical sphere-blasts from some kind of small canons attached to the flying machines, and eluded the ramming plane by dropping down about two feet, eyes never leaving Furroh's fighter, which immediately performed a half-circle turn and zeroed in on me.

 _Furroh, please, it's not too late. You still can switch to our side! Listen to your sister!_

 _Do NOT bring my sister into this! I love her. But we also owe our life to our uncle!_

A volley of electrical spheres was shot towards me this time. Quickly, I avoided them and Furroh.

 _Your uncle is WILLINGLY helping evil, Furroh, you know that! His blind hate for benders will be the DEATH of the three of you... and Asami!_

 _Oh, you bastard, you have to bring my cousin into this too? You filthy, disgusting bender!_

 _Hey, I'm not a-_

A lot of volleys of electrical sphere-blasts were aimed at me. _You really want to kill me, huh?_ Now I didn't bother to dodge the 'bullets' anymore. _Time to knock some sense into that young, thick, fuckin' Equalist skull._ I created a shield around me, hardening and strengthening it in order for it to not be fried by electricity, moving fast forwards, aiming for the plane's right wing. Furroh was still shooting...

 _I still can't believe you manipulated my sister into shocking me back in my uncle's underground factory. You poisoned her mind!_

I was approaching the plane head-on. _There's the chicken wing._ Right when I was going to grasp at the wing, having already dissolved the disc, the plane suddenly lurched downwards, then forwards! _Motherfucker!_ And, once again, I was falling in mid-air. _That's it! I'm going to board the damn plane the hard fuckin' fucker way!_ Lightning fast, I fabricated a medium-sized mound of earth, landing upon it and waiting for Furroh to turn around. As he fired salvo after salvo of deadly electrical blasts, I reserved for each one of 'em each group of sand-like microorganisms, used to poof the 'bullets'. _Come on, you little cry-baby, come closer. Come closer, I dare ya!_

 _Then, do you know what happened next? That bitch Sojana figured out that my sister intended to jump ship! She punished us both! She made me... she made me rape your damnable Avatar girlfriend!_

 _What?_

I frozed. _Korra... was raped by more than one individual? Why didn't Azara tell me anything about that? Why?_ The last question began to echo in my mind, causing me to be unable to see that I was facing death once again. So many things, so many emotions ran through my head right at that moment. So many... So many that maybe death could end it all. Maybe... death was the only wa-

"Saudorn!".

I was tackled away by Azara. She saved me, again. Time seemed to slow down. I turned to look at her face; there were cuts on it, and she was bleeding a little.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me? Why just Sojana?", I asked her.

"Because... I love you".

Then, she kissed me.

While her lips were bigger than mine, they felt good. Soft, reassuring, yet firm and not hesitant. When we stopped kissing each other, she softly spoke:

"Now you have to solve the problem between you and that boy. Prove to him that you are truly trustworthy".

Following that, she threw me back towards Furroh's plane, me turning my head around to look at her. And then, I returned my attention to the flying machine, Hejusha ready in my hand. When I was near the plane, I lashed ahead, making the whip attach to the machine's wing, pulling hard so as to 'land' on the thing. Next, I folded the whip, put it away, and wriggled into the space between the wing, moving towards Furroh's driver's seat. Right after that, I was detected.

"You!", Furroh shouted, look straight at me.

"Furroh, please, let's talk".

"There's nothing to talk about!".

He briskly made the plane turn right sharply, prompting me to hold on for my dear life. _Jesus on a flying cracker, I hate this shit!_

"Furroh, listen to me, I didn't mean it! I didn't know Sojana was going to punish you for... betraying the Equalists! Furthermore, it was your sister who-", I tried to explain to him.

" "It was your sister..."? How dare you!".

The teenager began to make the biplane go crazy, pulling every aviatic trick he knew on me. _Oh Jesus, God, Zeus, Thor, Odin, Ra, holy Abracadabra!_

"Furrohhhhh! Stoppppp! I'm sorryyyyy! Oh fuck, look out!".

His plane nearly collided with a Cacodemon. _Phew, that was such near miss._ ( George Carlin:"Bullshit, my friend. It's a near hit! A collision is a near miss!" )

"Look, Furroh, let's calm down, then let's talk", I tried to persuaded him, "just jump ship, man. After that, I'll let you kick me in the balls. Or I can even convince Korra to forgive you. Anything! Just... stop... flying so fast!".

Once I finished my sentence, the plane's speed began to drop. _Oh, thanks the Gods that were Iron Maiden. I don't need no Aces High no more. Uhh._ I started moving towards the teenage pilot. When I was really close to him, I began to speak, again:

"Tha- thank you, Furroh. I promise I will set things right. Honest to-".

However, he was not focusing on me; he was just staring straight ahead. Shortly after that, he said, his voice trembling:

"What- what in Spirits' names i- is that thing?".

I immediately turned to look at whatever he was looking at, and the sight made me want to piss right then and there.

 _Im... possible! I thought that thing didn't exist!_

...

 _Call me by my astral name!_

 _Breeding fear through wordless tongue!_

 _Heavenly thirst - unspeakable pain!_

 _Emptied from all human emotions!_

 _Confront the faceless wrath!_

 _Beckoning silence from a sphere behind space!_

 _Through twisted ruins of uncompleted dreams!_

 _Sights of towers reaching for the moon!_

 _Clawing at the skies - they're gonna pull it down!_

 _Intensity - I feel the lava rushing through my veins!_

 _Stars are reforming - to enter the fourth dimension!_

 _Beyond all galaxies,_

 _through timeless aeons of frost!_

 _Unearthly hunger - angels descend!_

 _We are entering dimensions behind space..._

 _Beyond all galaxies,_

 _through timeless aeons of frost..._

In Flames's Behind Space ran through my mind as I look at the Horror, the Looming Threat, the Impending Doom, feeling chill running down my spine. _Sleeping Cthulhu, it's an Atmospheric Beast, and it's either heading towards this plane or General Iroh's battlefleet!_ As I was horrifically mesmerized by the horrid sight, a crackling sound was emitted from the teenager's driver's seat, then there was a voice.

"Furroh, did you... did you see what I saw?". _Simel!_

Promptly, I moved forwards to where Furroh was, snatching the microphone from his hand, fidgeting frustratedly with the small device while fending off my 'enemy'.

"What in damnation are you doing? Give it back!", he shouted.

"I must warn your sister. She needs to get out of here, fast!", I replied out loud, "how do I turn this shit on?".

"Like flameo I'm gonna tell you abo-".

"Mutaliiiiisks!", I shrieked, upon sensing and seeing that the plane was about to crash into three path-crossing Mutalisks.

Furroh screamed aloud in fright, yet subconsciously maneuvered the plane skillfully, avoiding the flying abominations just in time. _I think I've had enough of fuckin' air traffic for one day. Good Gods._ Right after that, Simel's voice was heard again.

"Furroh, are you there? Are you okay? Please, answer me-".

"I'm here, Sis! I'm fine!", Simel's brother responded, "jus-".

I speedily grasped his hand and yelled at the microphone.

"Simel, get out of here! Find the Avatar and leave, now!".

"Saudorn? What are yo-".

"No time to ask! Just go! I'll take care of Furroh, I promise!".

Only silence. Then...

"Alright, I'll... I'll... go. But you bring my brother ho- I mean, back, without a scratch, you hear me?", she directed me with a slightly trembling voice. Next, she addressed her brother:"I'm going to join the Avatar whether you like it or not, Furroh. If you love me, you do what Saudorn tell you, understand?".

"What- Wha- You can't be serious, Sis! You place the guy, whom gave me a concussion, in charge, then expect me to follow his every order? Simel, I love you, but- Simel, are you still there? Simel. Simel!", Furroh objected. After that, he sighed, then say:"I really hate you".

"More than Sojana?", I uttered, still staring at something, or someone, standing on the head of the Atmospheric Beast, which was a gigantic, whale-shaped organism, with greyish and white-spotted skin with a somewhat decaying quality to it, exposing disgustingly whitish tissues beneath, and grim, dark grey, big and small tendrils at its chin moving back and forth, left and right. It had two wing-like flippers, also having the same kind of tendrils I'd mentioned at the end of them. Its eyes were pretty big, with red-and-amber irides from each one, and a big and as-dark-as-night-itself pupil. _It's like staring at, not one, but two, giant, abyssal pits._ Then, there were its teeth; two sets of sharp, massive, and innumerable goddamn teeth. And then there was a pretty big, whitish and tumor-like bulge between its eyes, which... shot out multiple streams of lightning at some of the still-functioning battleships, completely obliterating them! But those were not the most terrifying things about that thing. It was the _sounds_ it made after shooting lightning: Like actual whales', yet so eerily and disturbingly loud, eldritch and hideous and loathsome! They could chill you to the _bones_...

Two seconds later, I heard the words "Flaming flameo...".

Following that, out of nowhere, a big-ass tendril suddenly was lashing at our left. Quickly, I grabbed the teenager's hand, which was gripping the control stick ( Hey, I know what that thing is called. Just because I never was inside an actual, be it modern or WW II, fighter jet doesn't mean I have no idea what it's called. I have movies and flight-simulating video games to thank for that! ) in fear, and pushed it forwards, making the plane fly straight at the incoming gagantuan monstrosity! _Fuck, how do I make the damn thing lurch downwards?_

Furroh screamed. "What are you doing? Are you out of your mind? I don't wanna be that THING's food!".

"How do I make this thing fly downwards!?", I shouted at him, "how do I make this thing fly downwards!?".

"Get your damn hand off the control stick, you maniac! You'll get us all eaten! Or worse, slowly digested!". Furroh yanked my hand away from the stick, then took control.

Shortly after, he managed to fly the plane straight Earthwards, us a few meters away from the beast's terrifying, gaping maw, screaming aloud in panic, my hands and feet glued to the wing's steel, supporting joists. One minute later, Furroh made the plane perform a 180-degree barrel roll in order to turn sharply, so as to fly towards the opposite direction without traveling through the air upside down. Next, I turned around to see where the hideous monster was. And it was pursuing us, gaining more and more speed as moments passed by!

Alarmed, I returned my attention to the teenage pilot. "Hey, Furroh, pedal faster!", I urged him. ( Winston Havelock:"Hang on, men!" )

"Hold on!", Furroh yelled.

And then, he briefly fiddled with the controls, resulting in the plane flying faster than before. But it was not enough! For the nasty creature was gaining on us like a flash! _Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! This is not good. This is not good!_ After about three minutes, Furroh abruptly turned left, avoiding tendrils aiming to strike us.

"What the hell are you trying to do?", I inquired him.

"Your red friend told me to let her handle Sojana. And we only need to jump off this plane, whenever we reached her current position", he replied casually.

I was skeptical. "Is this not one of your tricks to get rid of me?".

He snorted. "For what? I am loyal to my uncle, that is true. But there's no way in the Spirit World's bad places I'm gonna face Sojana again. I'm tired of being abused by that bitch, even though I love sticking my... thing up her back door".

I was stunned. "She... raped you?".

"Sometimes, at night, whenever Simel was sleeping. I hated it at first, but then, I...".

He went silent before finishing his sentence.

"It's alright, Furroh, we'll talk later. Time to give a flying fuck and get outta here". I pointed to his left.

Azara was close to the plane, in mid-air, probably having jumped forth from somewhere head. Upon seeing us, she winked, then concentrated on our enemy, in front of her and behind us. As she moved past us, Furroh and I looked at one another, and nodded. We exited the plane, him opening up his parachute, me creating a 'disc' to stand on, hoping Azara would be the winner, just like her last encounter with Sojana in that chamber beneath Aang's statue's foot, on Avatar Aang Memorial Island.

...

Republic City, Skirmish over Yue Bay.

Azara's p.o.v.

After jumping away from the platform where Saudorn and the others were standing, 'landing' on a biplane and tearing it apart, I 'abandoned plane', jumping on another and broke one of its wings, then I jumped to another, getting straight to the pilot, grasping him and throwing him out. Then, I sort of controlled the plane, leading it towards one of its brethren, jumping away, letting it collide with the other one. Seven minutes of annihilating enemies later, I decided to land upon a sinking United Forces ship in order to see how Saudorn and Korra were doing.

And that was when I noticed a giant ice spike erected by the young Avatar, so as to dispatch one of the biplanes. Then, Saudorn took care of the other flying things. However, the first plane that Korra'd taken down crashed against her water spout, resulting in her falling towards the water. Upon seeing that, I intended to come to her rescue, yet it was another waterbender - the Anyu girl - who saved her. Reassured that the young Avatar was safe, I continued to go kick asses.

After a while, I had a feeling that we had the upper hand, and that we were going to win this battle. But I was wrong... Their reinforcement, which comprised of biplanes and... Cacodemons from Doom, and Mutalisks and Guardians from the world of Starcraft, came! _No! But I already had Sarah Kerrigan, Jim Raynor and Zeratul evacuated to safety!_ Swiftly, I used my malevolent entities-detecting ability to scan the flying horde, discovering that the Mutalisks and Guardians were not from Sarah Kerrigan's swarm. I sighed in relief. _So Sarah is still safe. Thank the Light._ Following that, Saudorn contacted me psychically.

 _Did you see that? The Guardians are somehow... changed. I hope these are not under Sarah's command. I hate to think about Zulathulhu's forces subjugating the Zerg, either brainwashing their leader or forcing her to join them._

 _Don't worry, these are not entirely from Sarah's swarm, and your biggest childhood gaming crush is safe and sound, together with Jim Raynor and Zeratul-_

 _Wait, what? You meant Zeratul's still alive? I thought-_

 _When Zulathulhu's forces entered many realities, the timelines there were all messed up, some not-so-badly, some badly, and some severely. Starcraft and the World of Benders are, luckily, two of the realities which are consider fairly stable, especially the latter. And in case you wonder why, it's because I arrived here first, being the Guardian, a being familiar and balanced with space time continuum, and all. But I'll explain the rest later. Here, take Hejusha, for here they come._

Fleetly, I arrived at the ship where Saudorn was and gave him my whip. Next, without a word, I jumped high, towards the new wave of air-enemies, resolving to flank their left side. First, I got on a Guardian, repeatedly punching its face 'til it was a fleshy and ichorous mess, the wicked thing, now just a carcass, falling down upon the water, me using it as a launching point and propelling myself away upon the next flying target, a Cacodemon. Once I was on it, I immediately grabbed hold of one of its horns, digging the fingers of my other hand in the monster's skin so as not to let it throw me off, causing it to shriek aloud in pain, rapidly 'guiding' it to shoot lightning balls at its allies, me laughing joyously.

Once I was satisfied that a lot got hit, I rammed my right fist against the thing's sole eye so deep that I reached its brain, pulling it out, crushing it and tossing it away, propelling myself to another targets. They were a bunch of Mutalisks. The moment I was on the first Mutalisk, I violently ripped its wings off, moving on to the next one, one hand holding one of its two horns, the other ( left hand ) hammering its head so hard it broke the skull and smashed the brain to cerebral pulp. And now both my hands were sticky and a bit smelly, but I didn't mind at all. Next, I jumped on the third Mutalisk as it tried to fly away, grabbing at one of its tail's sharp tusks, feeling it beginning to indent my thick skin. As it angrily flew higher and shot Glaive Wurms everywhere, screaming "TEKELI-LI-I-I-I-I!", maneuvering chaotically to get rid of me, I quickly caught one of the 'bullets', threw it at the Mutalisk's face before it exploded, letting go of the tusk and falling down, in mid-air, on top of another plane, proceeding to utterly destroy it.

A full period of ten minutes later, after finishing two Cacodemons, while keeping an eye on Saudorn, who was facing that Furroh boy, I jumped on another flying foe, intending to kill it, but was nearly overwhelmed by a sense of dread. Instantly, I turned to look at Saudorn. He was standing still before Furroh's incoming biplane! Not hesitating, I propelled away towards my successor-to-be, successfully got him away from the plane's propeller. At once, he asked me:

"Why? Why didn't you tell me? Why just Sojana?", he asked me.

 _He knew. He knew I had to hide the fact that Korra was raped by multiple individuals._

"Because... I love you".

Then, I kissed him, sighing in merriment, yet feeling not quite right because even though it was the moment I'd been waiting for, at that time it was not really proper. When we stopped kissing each other, I softly spoke:

"Now you have to solve the problem between you and that boy. Prove to him that you are truly trustworthy".

Following that, I threw him back towards Furroh's plane, him turning his head around to look at me. And then, he returned his attention to the flying machine, Hejusha ready in his hand. For the next period of about sixteen minutes, I spread carnage and destruction among the enemies, while keeping an eye on Furroh's biplane. Afterwards, all at once I detected two fast approaching malevolent entities, and it was Sojana standing on a... an Atmospheric Beast! _This doesn't bode well._ So, I jumped upon a Mutalisk and forced it to stay still, my eyes following Furroh's plane very closely. Once the massive monster was too close to the biplane, I reached out to the teenage pilot telepathically and told him to let me handle Sojana, and that they only needed to jump off the plane whenever they reached my current position.

Finishing communicating with the boy, I urged the Mutalisk to fly forwards. As the teenage Equalist's biplane turned left and was heading towards me, I made the Mutalisk speed up a little bit. Once I reached the spot I'd required, I jumped away from the air-Zerg ( or air-jerk if you want to be immature ), casually using my time manipulation to put the thing back to its first position, nearing Furroh's flying machine, winking at Saudorn and the boy, then concentrating on the beast, seeing the hateful look on Sojana's face.

 _I'm here for your head, bitch._

Immediately, Sojana conjured a big lightning sphere and shot it towards me, prompting me using time manipulation to send it back to her, her... absorbing the thing without being harmed! How is that possible? Like last time, the lightning sphere should have been dangerous to her too! _But no matter, I'll kick her ass as always anyway._ With a battle cry, I put my fist forwards, ready to wipe that smug grin from the despicable harlot's face. However, when my fist was just inches away from Sojana, she side-stepped, making me land on the beast's head with a roll to avoid impact. Next, I turned to face my second archenemy.

"Well, well, well, you look as beautiful as ever, Red. Reminds me of some of our encounters. Jeez, why couldn't we be the supreme couple?". Sojana's grin widened.

"I'd rather be damned eternally than be your plaything", I coldly replied, me and her beginning to circle around.

My mortal enemy grasped her chest, feigning being hurt emotionally. "Oh, Azara, you hurt my feelings. How can you deny such a thing called love? Or you think I'm not even worth dominating? How sad".

"I'll never stoop to your level, whore", I spat as we both approached each other.

"Yet, if my memory serves me right, I remember you being so eager to... crush me while I was beneath you, vulnerable and all", she continued to taunt me.

Then, she laughed.

 _That's it! Time to bloody that mouth!_

With a terrible cry, I lunged at her, grabbing her neck with one hand, the other seizing her right arm, and proceeding to choke her, lifting her off the monster's skin. Fleetly, Sojana left hand was at my wrist, sending currents of fatally high-voltage electricity through me, prompting me to let go of her, letting out a painful shout. After that, I was greeted by fists, feet, elbows and knees, Sojana using all her might to bring me down, yet I held on, refusing to be beaten. Nevertheless, my enemy's flurry of attacks was well above the limits of a normal human; therefore, after a while, a butterfly kick flung me away violently. But my second form was another version of She-Rulk, so I was not hurt seriously; instantly standing up, I rubbed my lower jaw, then rushed forwards just as Sojana did the same, performing a jumping spinning back kick.

Nonetheless, I briskly caught her foot then pushed her flying backwards, jumping straight ahead, aiming for her stomach and let my left fist do the talking, causing Sojana to fly back even further. And she would have flown off the damn monstrosity, had some tendrils not suddenly appeared from its tail fin and caught her just in time. And then, they put her back onto her air 'transportation'. Performing a great leap, she closed the distance between us, landing a few feet in front of me, slightly holding her stomach and grimacing a little.

"Wow, that was something. Now you kinda make me wet". She smiled.

"I'll make you soil your panties, little witch!".

Rushing forwards again, I dodged Sojana's small lightning spheres as she threw them at me continuously, all the same approaching her. Once I was near her, I aimed to strike her head with my right fist, yet she ducked quickly, me fleetly introduced to her my left backfist, which was blocked by her right lower leg. Improvising, I used my right leg to kick her right in the shoulder, knocking her to the left, her rolling on her 'mount's' skin, then standing up, not hesitating to counter with volley after volley of lightning beams from her hands. I had no choice but to dodge roll left and right, occasionally sending some beams back at her, the bitch absorbing those like nothing.

Next, as I began to come near her again, she spun around repeatedly, shooting crescent moon-shaped lightnings at me, causing me to dodge again. When I was near her, this time, I used my leg to sweep hers, making her fall on her back, me lunging on top of her and moving to punch her face aggressively, yelling:

"You want me to dominate you? Here's domination, take it like a little slut you are!".

Even though it was satisfying beating Sojana up like that, I was carelessly letting my guard down, because I felt her hand on my abs, sending currents of electricity through my entire body again; now, the voltage was much greater than before, effectively knocking me off her. Gritting my teeth and struggling to stand up, I began to punch at Sojana; notwithstanding, a tendril, out of nowhere, wrapped around my right arm, then my left, then my feet, successfully immobilizing me, me glaring at my bitter enemy, who'd stood up and now was wiping blood away from her nose with the back of her hand, then licked it like it was some kind of syrup.

*smut scene begins... shortly*

After that, the spot of skin at her feet started producing electricity, coursing through her whole being, her grinning dementedly, raising one hand towards me and blasting a medium-sized lightning sphere at me, savagely electroshocking me nearly to the point of unconsciousness, me screaming, dropping down on all fours, gasping painfully. Following that, I felt Sojana grasp my jaw with her hand, pulling me sitting up, gazing down at me in the eyes, me defiantly staring back at her intensely, all of a sudden seeing longing in her green orbs. Then, her lips crashed against mine, her smaller tongue forcefully wrestling with my bigger one, me giving out a muffled, uncomfortable grunt, which soon turned to delighted and lustful moans. Once our breath was almost out, Sojana tried to bite my lower lip to draw blood, yet she failed because my lips were thicker than hers. _An opportunity of revenge. Sweet._ Not wasting time, I bit her lower lip in retaliation, causing her to grunt in pain, rapidly backslapping me. Touching her own lip, Sojana looked down at her fingers, seeing blood, then she glared at me as I gave her a satisfied grin. That was when she began to chuckle.

"Just like old times, right, Azara?".

Shortly, after that, she pulled the zipper of her catsuit down, revealing her big, round, beautiful breasts. Upon seeing the sight of them again, I felt my lips go dry. _No, Azara, this... is not right._ Lightning fast, Sojana tackled me to the beast's skin, her hands guiding mine up above my head, pinning them there, her breasts were thrust against mine, only separated by my thin, one-piece, battle costume. Next, she kissed me again, now less aggressively and more passionately, sighing merrily. Then, she teased me:

"Wanna reminisce that familiar taste you miss so much?".

With a growl of lust, I demanded her:"Give it to me".

And Sojana complied, thrusting one of her breasts at my face, me eagerly catching it with my mouth, hungrily sucking on it, sometimes gently teasing her nipple with my teeth, making her gasp in pleasure. One minute later, my female enemy fed me her other boob, receiving the same treatment which the former had had. After that, she removed it from my face, pulling the zipper down towards her crotch, lightly shrugging off of it and throwing it away. Not hesitating, she slightly made a flourish, signaling the tendril to let go of my hands, then sat on my face, showing me her pantieless sex. I knew, then, what to do. So I used my hands to grab her round butt and stuck my tongue out to lick and suck at her clit, then at her labia, and then inside her vagina, prompting her to squeeze her thighs together at each side of my head, while grinding her pussy against my face.

These actions of me licking and sucking and tongue-fucking and, now, ass-fingering her and of Sojana face-grinding me continued on and on, seeming like for ever, until she reached her climax and squirted juices all over my face. Subsequently, she crashed down on me, her crotch covering my face, making me breathe in her pussy's musky and lust-inducing aroma, causing me to want to taste her again. _Great Light, it's been so long..._ Shortly later, my 'lover' crawled back down to face me, licking my face, tasting her own juices; then, inhaling the sweaty scent at my neck, she whispered in my ear, giving me a good kind of chill down my spine:

"You've had your fun. Now it's my turn".

At this, she quickly and vigorously yanked at the material of my costume, tearing its upper half away, exposing my equally round and alluring breasts. She, next, grabbed hold of them and roughly squeezed them, harshly and mercilessly pinching my nipples with her fingers. Now and then, she'd bit them and use her teeth to pull at them viciously, evoking loud and uncontrollable moans of pleasure from my mouth. Three minutes later, I felt her fingers brush aside the crotch of my costume, them zealously rubbing against my vaginal lips, prompting me to moan louder. That was when one of her fingers was placed on my clit, and I felt a medium amount of electricity... shocking me there! _Ugh! Aaah!_

"Hey, Red, let me sing you a Dark Angel song, its title is Pain's Invention, Madness. But I bet you already know that". Sojana cackled.

I cried out in mixed pain and delight as my enemy shocked me from inside and outside of my vagina, subconsciously arching my back and hip for more, hearing her sing the lyrics of that song.

Chains - shackle - me.

With truth, I'm face - to face.

Backed up - in between.

A damp cage, I remain

in the - cell - of numb despair.

The chill engulfs - my veins.

There's only one notion that I - revere.

The only truth in life is pain!

It levels - and crushes - in its free will.

My doomed fate - will soon - be sealed.

Pain's invention, madness!

Preys behind my eyes.

Pain's invention, madness!

Now I realize.

Pain's invention, madness!

Though I'll not break free.

Pain's invention, madness!

Truth eternally.

Beyond my grasp - is a life

that I - will never attain.

Happiness, joy, not in sight.

Supplanted by truth's - dark reign.

Physical, mental - agony - shows.

Along which - my life - revolves.

Either you feel it, or you don't.

There are never - lies - involved.

Clutching to my abnormal-ity.

Hand in hand - with - des-tiny.

Pain's invention, madness!

Preys behind my eyes.

Pain's invention, madness!

Now I realize.

Pain's invention, madness!

Though I'll not break free.

Pain's invention, madness!

Truth eternally.

When you are pumping full of life,

the one sensation that you have

can penetrate through love or hate...!

Existence on a higher plane

in death and life, both the domains.

Surrender totally to pain...!

I slip and claw and scream!

It calls!

Leave me alone with myself!

It yearns!

I'm bleeding from my brain!

It needs me!

I'm helpless, trapped behind!

Its walls!

Tearing apart my mind!

It burns!

Upon my naked soul!

It feeds!

Streams of consciousness fill the page

as my nerve endings scream - in rage!

Deliver me to the darkest age

as De Sade sits at center stage!

My flesh is but a portal now.

To wisdom and truth - I - am - a-vowed!

Pain's invention, madness!

Pain's invention, madness!

Pain's invention, madness!

Pain's invention, madness...!

Twisting through the door.

Am I nevermore?

My breath, I can feel.

Therefore, I am real!

I've succumbed to the heinous sins!

And I'll never be forgiven!

Shackled and bound, my new life I've found!

And I've tasted the fruits forbidden!

I've craving more

of pain's overtures!

Liberation - is - near!

And I have nothing to fear!

In this journey of self-discovery,

I have found the keys to be set free!

In this wicked course, I've uncovered the force

that will keep my vital eternally!

Pain's invention, madness!

The force that preys behind my eyes!

Pain's invention, madness upon me...!

Pain's invention, madness!

It takes this long to realize!

Pain's invention, madness - has set me free...!

Pain's invention, madness!

The force that preys behind my eyes!

Pain's invention, madness upon me...!

Pain's invention, madness!

It takes this long to realize!

Pain's invention, madness - has set me free...!

Trans-cendency

of mere - mortality.

Tortured inflic-tion

is now - my - addiction.

Constant a-gony

has crea-ted me.

I am suffering

through this a-tro-city.

I'm not blind to what I might find!

Squirming way down deep inside my labyrinthine mind!

Inhibitions removed, replaced with scar tissues!

And I'm punished with blades of my lobotomizing suit!

I've sought this dream

in its violent extremes!

Now my pleasure is clear,

though the lesson's severe!

My will is strong, but I could be wrong!

This new doctrine for which I've been searching all along is

the religion of truth through administration of pain!

The body only takes so much before it drives the mind insane!

As a matter of fact, my friend,

I've come to my bitter end!

It's not a torture rack I'm in,

though I can still pretend!

It's a jacket of white with buckles and straps!

Not a pleasure device at all!

It keeps me safely under wraps

while I'm chained to - this - padded wall...!

Hear my cries...!

Hear my cries...!

Hear my cries...!

Hear my cries...!

You'll never know!

*End of smut scene*

 _When... will be the next... opportunity?_

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	33. Chapter 29

**Note: Hello, Matt, I will give you an explanation about Sojana and Azara's past relationship. Don't worry :) . And, yeah, it was one hell of a way to show it ;) Anyway, you forgot she is the current Guardian of all realities; surely, she can't behave like a mere human, can she? Also, she didn't _betray_ him ( *slap you* in the wise words of Sokka, "Get a hold of yourself, man!" ) . This chapter contains coarse language. I don't own the songs Seasons in The Abyss by Slayer, Evil Warriors by Possessed and Anywhere in The Galaxy by Gamma Ray. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXIX - Victory and Loss/Preparations**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, over Yue Bay.

Sojana's p.o.v.

I stood triumphantly, smiling, over Azara, my unconscious archenemy, shortly after making her squirt, electroshocked repeatedly, so powerfully that she'd literally drenched me with her delicious juices. _You are mine now, Azara. Mine, and mine alone. Then, I'll make the Avatar mine as well. And Saudorn? Maybe Zulathulhu wants him, but I'll make sure that I have my fair share too. Oh, I have so many naughty, dirty and wonderful things in store for all of you. I promise, it'll be the best orgy party eve-_

 _I don't think so, Sojana._

Quickly, I turned to my left. And there he was, standing before me, the biggest prize of all...

"Saudorn, my dear". I grinned. "Have you reconsidered and decided to join me? So naughty. Then again, Azara would make even Tenzin naughty. Right?".

There was hate written all over his face. "Who else beside you and Furroh that raped Korra?", he inquired simply.

I pouted. "Aw, no play, all business? No fun".

Saudorn swiftly pulled out a whip. _Azara's whip? Mmm... Kinky._ "I won't ask you again, Sojana. Tell me, now".

I smiled again. "You mean you didn't know? Didn't your sweet, and hot, mentor here tell you anything about that?". I gestured towards my "lover". "Well, she definitely is secretive, huh? Or maybe... she just wants you for herself. Yet, my little whore still couldn't turn down what I had to... _offer_ ". Next, I cackled.

"You bitch, I'll fuckin' kill you!".

With that said, he lashed the whip forwards with great speed. But I was faster. Briskly, I dodged the thing, fleetly grasping it with my left hand, and yanking it towards me, displaying my pretty inhuman strength. Surprised by my strength, my ex fell face first onto Jarkin's, my atmospheric beast pet, rough skin, and was dragged straight ahead for about one meter. Not hesitating, I commanded Jarkin telepathically to sprout a fairly big tendril next to my ex, to pick him up by the throat and for another tendril to sprout and to smack him right in the stomach, causing him to fly several feet backwards, "landing" on his back quite painfully.

"Ooh, that's a hard hit, huh? Hope you didn't have breakfast earlier this morning, or... you could lose it". I laughed at him.

Standing up, gritting his teeth because of pain, he fabricated a "hoverboard" right away, jumping on it and directed it to fly towards me, his other hand forming another whip. _Nice! This is getting kinkier and kinkier by the moments._ Rapidly, I commanded Jarkin to sprout spike-headed tendrils to come at him; however, he used his whips to cut them all down with ease. Once he was just about one meter and a half from me, he jumped off the "hoverboard", running towards me, while making it fly straight at me. _Not even a problem._ Immediately, I shot a piece of crescent moon-shaped lightning at the incoming object, slicing it in half.

Saudorn side-stepped instantly to avoid the "crescent moon", lashing the whips at me, this time not to wrap them around me, but to slash at me. With speed, I dodged them, then I threw lightning spheres towards him, prompting him to either dodge roll/jump or deflect my projectiles with Azara's whip. This prolonged for a while, with both of us seeking unguarded areas to knock down one another, using different tricks we had in mind. For example, sometimes Saudorn would construct a bunch of short-handled axes to throw at me, whereas I'd create buzzsaw-shaped lightnings on Jarkin's skin, making them move fast towards my ex like some mutant sharks' dorsal fin. Nevertheless, during the moment, maybe because he'd already calculated the speed and angles from the lightning spheres, he managed to let his microorganism whip take a lick at my right cheek, all the while jumping back and narrowly ducking my last, and slightly bigger, lightning sphere. _Damn, it stings! But in a good way..._

Halting for a bit, I inspected the cut with my fingers then licked the blood. Next, I decided to have a little payback, not that I was having an umbrage or anything, I just thought it'd make things a bit more interesting, psychically telling Jarkin to... generate bioelectricity! And, for sure, Saudorn was _shocked_ ( pardon my pun :D ), upon realizing that he'd just tasted the trap that I'd been setting all along ( actually, it was meant for Azara. But seeing that she went down quick, I saw no point in said trap, at all ), shouting aloud in great pain.

"Surprise! Surprise! My love". I laughed, well pleased. "It's just like when I... shocked you while we made love, right?".

"D-don't you dare bring up that... part of my life!", my ex, now on his hands and knees, growled.

"Oh, I'm hurt, babe. If I remember correctly, you told me that, after I made your anus well loose with a strap-on in round 2 that night, our time together was the best of your life!". I chortled.

"Not- as great as the time- I performed sensory deprivation on... you", struggling to stand up, he countered, "I know I should have done- more, if not... killed you".

" 'Oh, Hungman, if you had the guts for that kind of fun, you'd have done it years ago. I, on the other hand-' Ah!".

Before I was able to finished my modified quote of the Joker in Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker, I felt something hard hit my back, knocking me forwards to where Saudorn was standing.

"... will go down together with your damnable, hellish whale!".

 _Shit, how'd she get up so fast?_

...

Azara's p.o.v.

When she finished electroshocking me for the last time, Sojana stood up over me, thinking she was 'victorious'. Truth is, she overcalculated, as always; because it took more than her lightning to knock me out cold, even though if I was a mere human, I would have been completely fried. Nevertheless, I knew I couldn't fight Sojana on her gigantic, eldritch pet, as she clearly had an upper hand over me ( also, I was way past my Prime, so my ass-kicking, Guardian days were over, although I technically still was a Guardian, a Lady-Guardian ). Therefore, I had to feign 'defeat' in order to seize the next moment of oppurtunity.

So, Sojana stood over me, 'triumphant', for quite a time, maybe thinking, dreaming about what she had in store for me, then, Saudorn's voice interrupted her train of thoughts. Next, the two of them fought each other, concentrating on overcoming one another, totally oblivious about me. _Good, I'll wait 'til Sojana slips up._ And she did, by making the atmospheric beast generate bioelectricity, me, having sensed what was going to happen, jumping up just as electricity covered the eldritch whale's entire body! While I was in the air, I reckoned that the moment I was on the beast's skin again, Sojana would instantly realize that I was still wide awake. Thus, as soon as my left foot touched the skin, I quickly leaped forwards to where my archenemy stood, elbowing her right in the back, knocking her so hard she flew way towards Saudorn, 'landing' right at his feet.

"... will go down together with your damnable, hellish whale!", I growled.

Upon seeing that I was well, my successor-to-be looked at me with gladness. And then, gladness turned to embarrassment as he saw that I was wholly naked ( well, my hair still covered my breasts, soooo... ), looking away awkwardly. That was when Sojana grabbed his right ankle.

"No, allow me to go down on resparking our relationship!", she spat.

Before I could do anything, an anvil was formed out of nowhere and was dropped right onto the bitch's head, her head, perhaps, sinking through her pet's flesh, causing it to bellow in pain.

"Talk to my anvil first, cunt". Saudorn grinned ( Slappy:"What about the plot, Hemingway? What's an anvil got to do with this story?" - Skippy:"Who cares? Anvils are funny!" )

Rapidly, I rushed towards Saudorn, grasping his hand and led him away. "Come on, let's go! That avil won't hold her for long!".

"Whoa, Azara, whoa!". Saudorn tried to yank his hand from my grip. "You're big, I'm small, remember? And you're beautiful and all, but only Korra can make me her ragdol- I mean, only my girlfriend c-can do this kind of stuff to me!".

"Oh, sorry". I let go of his hand. "Shall we go now, Mr. Boyfriend Of The Avatar?". I smirked.

"Of course, we shall, Ms. Mentor". He winked.

Right after that, we proceeded to run towards the beast's face, aiming to jump off the gagantuan thing. As we neared our random, takeoff spot, we heard a monstrous roar from behind.

"JARKIN, GET THEM! DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY!".

Instantaneously, there were tendrils everywhere, as long as a karjarus ( a Xazan curse word. Trust me, you don't want to know what it means ) nightmare. Swiftly, I used time manipulation to get rid of the tendrils near our departing spot, then, I turned to Saudorn.

"Go, Saudorn! Go! I'll cover you!", I told him.

"No, I'm not gonna leave you, I came to rescue you, don't you forget that!".

"I will be fine, Saudorn. But you can't stay here, you must go!", I insisted.

"But-".

"No 'buts'. Just fly, you fool!", I yelled at him as I raised a time barrier to prevent us from being grasped by the other tendrils.

Subsequently, I opened a small portion of the barrier in order for Saudorn to get out and form a big disc to fly away. Once I concentrated on the barrier again, I saw that Sojana was standing several dozen centimeters away from me. Not hesitating, I dissolved the time barrier, looking at my archnemesis straight in the eyes, her signaling for the tendrils to stop attacking.

"You have nowhere to go, Azara, and your boy toy abandoned you. Surrender or die!", Sojana barked.

"Truth be told, I told him to escape. But it doesn't matter, for I'll take you and your precious pet with me, to oblivion". I smiled.

Sojana's face whitened. "You wouldn't dare".

"Wanna bet, m'lady? Let's all count down from 3... 2... 1!".

"NO!".

I quickly rushed towards the atmospheric beast's tumor-like bulge, which was situated between its eyes, and squashed the weak point with one punch, making the huge creature howl in agony, its sound sounding so chillingly and bizarrely sinister, it losing control of the ability to fly, starting to descend towards the water below, prompting me to hold on to the edge of the messy, slimy and pus-filled hole, where the growth had been, me playing the song Seasons in The Abyss by Slayer in my mind.

 _Razor-edge_

 _outlines the dead._

 _Incisions in my head._

 _Anticipation, the stimulation_

 _to kill the exhilaration._

 _Close your eyes,_

 _look deep in your soul._

 _Step outside yourself_

 _and let your mind go._

 _Frozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die!_

 _Close your eyes_

 _and forget your name._

 _Step outside yourself_

 _and let your thoughts drain_

 _as you go insane... go insane!_

 _Innate seed_

 _to watch you bleed._

 _A demanding physical need._

 _Desecrated, eviscerated._

 _Time perpetuated._

 _Close your eyes,_

 _look deep in your soul._

 _Step outside yourself_

 _and let your mind go._

 _Frozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die!_

 _Close your eyes_

 _and forget your name._

 _Step outside yourself_

 _and let your thoughts drain_

 _as you go insane... go insane!_

 _Inert flesh._

 _A bloody tomb._

 _A decorated splatter brightens the room._

 _An execution, a sadist's ritual._

 _Mad intervals of mind's residuals._

 _Close your eyes,_

 _look deep in your soul._

 _Step outside yourself_

 _and let your mind go._

 _Frozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die!_

 _Close your eyes_

 _and forget your name._

 _Step outside yourself_

 _and let your thoughts drain_

 _as you go insane... go insane!_

...

Republic City, Yue Bay.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After getting Furroh to safety, after explaining to the brothers that Furroh and his sister were defecting Equalists, wanting to help us put a stop to Amon and Agrigula, after witnessing a tearful reunion between Asami and one of her recently discovered cousins, and after persuading Korra to accept the former teenage Equalist's presence, I told Bolin and Asami to help the teenage Equalist find his sister and get her to the 'Camp' as soon as possible, while directing the young Avatar and Mako to guide General Iroh II and his personnels to our new 'HQ'. When asked what I was going to do, I told them that I and Anyu had to stay here and keep a protective eye on Azara.

After a while, I sensed that my female mentor was in danger at the hands of my deranged ex-girlfriend; not wasting time, I instructed Anyu to stay near the water in case I need her to help me perform some heavy task. Once I was 'aboard' the massive, flying monstrosity, dodging its multiple streams of lightning as it'd detected me approaching, I quickly engaged Sojana 'til I was brought down on my hands and knees... by the huge creature's bioelectricity! _Should have seen it coming. Fuck._ However, before Sojana was able to do anything to me, she was hit by Azara from behind; I and my female mentor, then, were ready to hightail the fuck outta there. Notwithstanding, as we neared the atmospheric beast's face, hearing its gruesome-yet-casual bawl, tendrils sprouted everywhere around us! _Damn it, this is not the time for some tendril rape bullshit!_

Fleetly, Azara used time manipulation to deal with some tendrils closest to us. After that, she told me to get out of there without her, forming a time barrier in the process to prevent other slender, threadlike appendages from catching us, me protesting, not wanting to leave her behind. _Like hell I'm gonna desert you like that._ Nevertheless, her persistence ( and her Gandalf quote ) persuaded me otherwise. So, I hauled ass to the water surface, but not forgetting to send a psychic message to Anyu to prepare for something dramatic. And little did I know that it was gonna be nearly extremely dramatic. For, shortly later, Azara hurt the humongous abomination by shattering its lighting-shooting tumor! _No! Azara!_ Briskly, I called on Anyu to help me create a great and iced tidal wave, aiming to cushion the beast so as not to let Azara... perish or something, taking a little while to do it. _Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, please don't let it be too late!_

As soon as the enormous amount of ice rose to 'catch' the falling monster, I and Anyu used all our might to withstand the thing's weight. _Ho-ly shit, this huge motherfucker must weigh at least a hundred tons! That, plus impact velocity, is truly, ugh, a bitch!_ After struggling for a moment, Anyu reinforced the massive iced chunk with more ice around and below the eldritch leviathan to carry, and hold its weight. Next, she spoke:

"Hurry, we must find Azara before the ice is broken!".

"Couldn't agree more". I nodeed.

And then, we approached the ice, came near the surely dead monstrosity's head, and... Azara was not there! _Where the hell is she? Where the- Oh gods, don't tell me... Don't tell me she somehow got crushed by the thing!_ Swiftly, I scanned the monstrous whale, only to find Sojana lying next to it. _Where in the fuckin'... motherfuckin' frosty hell is she?_ Frantically, I scanned the ice underneath the frozen water as well, relieaved to find out that my female mentor was frozen in the ice to the left of the huge, blasphemous whale. Turning to Anyu, feverish, I asked her:

"Can you bend her out of ther-"

That was when we heard a sound that figuratively turned our blood _cold_ ( pun intended ), a cracking sound. _Oh - crap._ Quickly, I ordered my Northern Water Tribe girl friend:

"Anyu, hold this frosty thing, now!".

"What about you? How are you going to get her out?".

"I'm gonna separate the section of ice that trapped Azara inside from the whole. Once it's completely free, I'll get us out of here, alright?".

"Alright".

When the conversation finished, each of us concentrated on our specific task at hand. Anyu, the ice; me, Azara. Next, I guided the microorganisms in the water towards where Azara was frozen, then I delicately applied them around that portion of ice, 'gripping' it firmly. Following that, I created a model of the ice cutting machine's blade, putting it on the desired spot and beginning to cut, starting to upset the whole chunk, causing Anyu to grunt, her trying to keep it from breaking with her waterbending. As the blade cut deeper and deeper, the whole became more and more unstable, prompting Anyu to use more effort to keep us both safe.

"Be quick, Saudorn, I- Ugh! I don't think I can hold on much... longer!", my partner urged me.

"Just... a little more", I replied, sweating.

Shortly later, even as the blade was reaching its 'destination', there were more and more cracking sounds. The ice was extremely unstable now.

"What takes you so long? Huuuury... up!", Anyu complained.

"Al-most - there!".

And when the blade ultimately divided the ice around my female mentor and the entire thing, there was a monstrous rumbling sound, accompanied by countless of cracking ones. Before the ice broke, I rapidly formed microorganism discs beneath Anyu's and my feet and hightailed us, including Azara, far away from the sinking mass. Grunting with effort and near tiredness, I connected the microorganisms around Azara's ice to the discs, shaping them all into a small, flying fortress, heading back towards where I, Anyu and Team Avatar once were ( remember that platform overlooking Yue Bay? ), me lying down to recover my strength. Two minutes later, I heard Anyu wonder aloud:

"I wonder if we saw the last of Sojana back there".

"Don't count on it", I responded, "as much as you want to think that, surprise is a bitch". And that bitch of an ex of mine is one of the evil warriors. Just like Possessed's Evil Warriors.

 _When you wake up in the night_

 _and you stare into the dark,_

 _your eyes will scream for sight!_

 _Evil left its mark!_

 _You'll be looking all above!_

 _Looking all around!_

 _But if you want to see them,_

 _you'll have to look down!_

 _Tortured by thoughts!_

 _Stricken by fear!_

 _Blasted to Hell!_

 _The end is near!_

 _As you wait upon your fate,_

 _your throat is full of pain!_

 _And when you try to scream,_

 _you know it's all in vain!_

 _Nothing you can change!_

 _Destiny is complete!_

 _Silence seems so strange,_

 _and you start to feel the heat!_

 _Forever to burn!_

 _Infinite pain!_

 _Demons of darkness!_

 _Warriors' domain!_

 _You think you're so secure!_

 _Protected from above!_

 _Gaze into the hellfire!_

 _I know you'll fall in love!_

 _They'll hunt you down at night!_

 _Your flesh is what they want!_

 _Your eyes will scream for sight!_

 _When evil comes to haunt!_

 _Cursed by nightmares!_

 _When you sleep,_

 _they'll cut your throat!_

 _And blood will seep!_

 _Fighting through the mist!_

 _Forever trapped in Hell!_

 _Crushed with Satan's fist!_

 _You can't escape his spell!_

 _Sanity will pass!_

 _Reality is just a word!_

 _Evil does its task_

 _with its mighty sword!_

 _Open your eyes and die_

 _by the hand of mass!_

 _Escape and you'll defy_

 _my long-awaited grasp!_

 _They want to steal your soul!_

 _Death will steal away!_

 _Your wrongs will take their toll!_

 _Below the crust you'll lay!_

 _Spell has cast, no hope!_

 _Forgotten thoughts of good!_

 _Your neck awaits a rope!_

 _And things go like they should!_

 _Enslaved in forever torment!_

 _Blood drips from your eyes!_

 _There is no way to repent_

 _from your wicked lies!_

 _Blades of steel!_

 _Cut off your head!_

 _Served as a meal!_

 _Satan is fed!_

 _Masters of evil!_

 _Blasters of Hell!_

 _No one can stop them!_

 _We're under their spell!_

 _Red eyes are glowing!_

 _With you in sight!_

 _And if you're knowing!_

 _Scream out in fright...!_

...

Republic City, "the Refugee Camp", late in the afternoon.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Once I brought Anyu and the frozen Azara close to the platform near one of the tunnels' entrances, I told the Northern Water Tribe girl to jump off the small, now floating, fortress, me following her, instantly dissolving all but the microorganisms around my female mentor's ice, moving it onto the platform's floor. Next, I signaled for my female friend to broke the ice, catching Azara as she fell to the floor, mightily struggling with her weight and trying to resist the cold emitting from her skin ( well, after all, she still was in her She-Rulk form, and she was trapped in the ice for quite a while ), thankfully helped by Anyu.

The moment we laid my female mentor down, I immediately asked Anyu:"Do you think she's... alright?".

Expertly taking Azara's pulse, Anyu replied half casually, half embarrassedly:"She's alright. I think it has to do with her... special bodily structure".

I mentally facepalmed. _Of course! Of-fuckin'-course. She's in the She-Rulk form right now! Then again, she's a cosmic being as well; surely, she's survived worse._ "Yeah, she's special, alright". I sighed.

"More special than Korra?", Anyu inquired curiously.

"I, uh, I-". I sighed again. "I don't know, Anyu. They both are special. It's really hard to compare them to each other, you know".

"But there's one easy enough: In this form, she sure packs more impressively than the Avatar, no joke". The Water Tribe girl halted. When she spoke again, her voice trembled a bit. "I... I wonder...".

I stared at her, an idea dawned in my mind. "So you are... entirely into girls?".

"Actually, no, I swing both ways". Anyu smiled. "But I find girls, or women... more alluring".

"Even the muscled ones?".

She blushed, gazing down at Azara's rock-hard, red-skinned abs. "Y-yeah".

"No wonder you and Tanna fangirl Korra so much". I chuckled.

"Fan... girl?".

I laughed softly. "Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting that I'm not, in actuality, from this reality. I'll explain later. Now, we need to go back to the camp".

"You'd better". Anyu growled playfully, causing us both to giggle like idiots.

After that, standing up, I created a big stretcher and a blanket to carry Azara, and cover her body, towards our 'HQ', me beginning to move, Anyu walking confidently by my side.

...

Once we reached the 'camp', everyone was there, including Simel. Upon seeing Azara on the stretcher, Asami and Furroh's sister approached us, the former inquired:

"What... happened to her? Is she okay?".

"She's okay, Asami", I responded, "she was accidentally frozen in the ice Anyu bent to hold the weight of Sojana's dead pet, in order for us to find and rescue he-"

"Wait, what? You mean, that giant, evil monster was your _ex-girlfriend's_ pet?", Bolin cut me off, "and how did you kill it? I thought it's _impossible_ to do something like that!".

"Hey, she's my ex, doesn't mean I'm responsible for whatever fucked-up trick she pulled out from her ass, okay? Anyway, I didn't kill it. Azara did, by smashing its weak point", I said, "now, would you kindly let me get her to somewhere warm? Seriously".

As the group parted, I walked and guided the stretcher towards the camp-fire, putting it pretty near the source of heat, breaking down the microorganisms. Then, I turned to the group, coming near Korra; and then, I hugged her, surprising the spirit out of her.

"Whoa, whoa!", she uttered, "what's this for?".

"Nothing". I pulled away from her a bit after finishing hugging her. "I... just miss you".

"Oh. Uhm...". She looked down at the ground. "I- kinda miss you too".

I smiled, lifting her chin up with my right hand. "After all this", I said with a low voice, "I'll make it up to you, I promise".

Following that, I gazed into her beautiful, light blue orbs, my face ever-so-slowly inching forwards to hers, ready for a passionate kiss. The moment our lips were so close to one another, someone cleared their throat. _Fuckin' really?_ I turned towards the source of the sound. It was Mako.

"I believe an introduction is once again needed, as General Iroh didn't have the chance to talk to you, Anyu... and Azara", he said.

 _Suuure. Nice idea._

Once Mako finished his sentence, General Iroh stepped forwards. "It's a pleasure to meet more of the Avatar's friends. And my best wishes to your, uhm, 'injured' friend. It is never good to witness your comrades get hurt or worse, going through a conflict or war. I'm General Iroh, as you have heard your friend Mako". He extended his hand, and I shook it.

"Thank you for your concern. My name is Saudorn Zalear. S-A-U-D-O-R-N Z-A-L-E-A-R. Also, to meet you is to meet a descendant of the great Fire Lord Zuko himself; therefore, the pleasure is mine". I bowed slightly.

Iroh chuckled. "Oh, no, my grandfather is no longer the Fire Lord". _Uh?_ "It is my mother, Fire Lord Izumi. Even so, I'm very honored to hear such words from the Avatar's boyfriend", he politely added, slightly bowing too.

Right after that, he turned to Anyu. "And you must be the Northern Water Tribe warrior. I am so glad that you decided to join the Avatar, proving Amon wrong about benders being evil. And your example even shines brighter as you helped the Avatar's boyfriend rescue a fallen comrade. That is what it takes to be a bender". He slightly bowed to her as well.

"Thank you for your kind words, General; notwithstanding, I am but a simple girl who can't stay idle while my friends risk their lives to protect the city I love". Anyu respectfully returned the courtesy.

Shortly after that, I turned to Furroh and Simel. Looking at Furroh, I said:"I'm glad you decided to switch sides, Furroh. And a man keeps his promise, meaning, you can kick my bal-".

"No, thanks, pal". Furroh shook his head. "Normally, I'd like to do that, but I'm on your side now, and... I'm in front of General Iroh, so... Let's just schedule a rematch, all right?".

"After the war?".

He nodded. "After the war".

Then, before I was able to address Simel, she moved forwards, smiling warmly. After that, she stood on tiptoe so as to kiss my right cheek. _Uhhhh..._

"Thanks for looking after my brother", she spoke, her voice low.

"You're welcome". I nodded, realized now what the kiss was for.

Subsequently, we all sat around a camp-fire, Korra continuing to heal Iroh's wound using her waterbending. He was saying:

"I was prepared to deal with Sato's Machine-Tanks, but not these new, high-speed aircrafts".

Korra commented:"I know. Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon-". She halted, taking a glance at me, then continued. "And Agrigula outsmart us".

"Yeah, no matter what our plan is, they always has a better one", Bolin confirmed.

Iroh, next, looked at me. "And I take it that Agrigula is Amon's... ally, like Councilman Tenzin has said in the wire?", he inquired.

Sighing softly, I proceeded to tell him, and Furroh and Simel, everything about me, Esillith, Azara, Agrigula and Zulathulhu. Once I finished, Iroh whitened a bit, then was thoughtful; and then he said:

"So, if what you said is true, which is indeed true, then we're all in a greater peril than ever. Even greater than the Hundred Year War".

 _Tell me something I don't know._

"Amon and Agrigula are winning so far", Iroh continued, "however, we're not out of the fight yet".

"I like this man's confidence!". Bolin clenched his fists proudly. Next, he put a hand to his chin. "So, how are we not out of the fight?".

Iroh suddenly stood up and Korra stopped healing. He put a hand over his wound.

"A second wave of reinforcements is on the way, but I need to warn them", he told us. He turned his head towards Korra. "Do you still have a way to get a message out?".

Korra smiled. "I know just the man for the job".

Following that, she led us to... the 'Noble Hobo', who, in turn, led us to a table, and there was a telegraph device on it. He held up a wire in each hand and plugged it in.

"And who is the recipient of this top secret message?", he asked Iroh.

"Commander Bumi, Second Division of The United Forces", Iroh responded with a straightforward manner.

The hobo immediately cracked his fingers, massaging his wrists and waved his right hand around.

Korra was surprised. Me too. "Tenzin's brother?", we asked the question at the same time. And when we realized that, we felt pretty awkward. Nonetheless, Korra gave me a small smile, seeing that I still remembered our talk about Bumi being Tenzin's brother.

Iroh nodded. "Yes. Bit of a wild man, but the bravest commander you'll ever meet".

"Ready, sir", the hobo 'reported'.

"Fleet ambushed and destroyed by Equalist aircrafts. Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach city until you receive the all clear", Iroh spoke, the hobo beginning to press the keys of the telegraph device repeatedly as Iroh delivered his message. We could hear the beeps sent.

Way after that, we, including Lin's cops and some of Iroh's capable soldiers, were standing around another table. There was a map of Republic City as Iroh's hand moved along it and stopped in its upper left corner.

"Now comes the hard part, we need to ground those aircrafts", Iroh instructed, "otherwise, Bumi's fleet will never be able to re-take the city".

Mako walked towards the table, pointing to the upper left part of the map. "They flew in from this direction. The airfield". Mako's finger slid to the mountains. "Must be somewhere over this mountain range".

"While the biplanes are a pain in the neck for us", I interjected, "more and more innocent people are undoubtedly being rounded up for Amon to erase their bending, and for Agrigula to eat. Hence, we must have a Special Force, and this one is different from Tarrlok's, for its main objective is to rescue people, as many as they can". I halted, looking to Iroh. "So, if I may, General Iroh".

Iroh nodded.

I continued:"I will appoint the leading responsibility to Anyu. Next, Furroh and Simel, as you used to work with the Equalists, ergo you are to accompany her. Finally, the metalbenders will be the body of this Special Force until this city is back in our hand again. Any suggestion or objection?".

 _No one says anything. Good._

"Good. Then, we'll proceed as planned. Everyone get ready", Iroh spoke, "we leave at dawn". We nodded and everyone was dismissed.

Next to me, Asami muttered:"It's time to take down my father".

Furroh and Simel put their hands on her shoulder, showing her their support, making her smile. I turned to Korra, noticing that she looked sad. All of a sudden, she said:

"Wait". Everyone turned around to look at her and she looked down solemnly. "I'm sorry but...". She frowned and looked back up to us. "I'm not going with you tomorrow".

"What?". Asami sounded stunned.

I was also. "Why not?", I asked her.

My girlfriend looked on angrily. "I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon". She turned her head to the side. "It's time I face him".

"Now, Korra, don't talk like that. We already had this discussion about fighting the enemies head on-", I began.

"You're right, we already had". _I'm... right?_ "But I'm not gonna fight you anymore. I... still don't trust you, yet I'm also tired of fighting you too. I've made up my mind".

Iroh stepped forwards. "I agree with Saudorn. We don't have the number to fight Amon and Agrigula head on. Furthermore, division means death; we need to stick together".

The young Avatar threw her arm to the side angrily. "I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down. My guts tell me it's time". She pointed her finger to the ground. "to end this, on my terms". She moved her arm to exaggerate her point.

I faced her. "Korra, remember when you challenged Amon? This is not a mission you should be handling alone. He outsmarted you. I'm not saying you're not capable of outclassing him, I'm just saying: This is NOT about the Equalists anymore. It's about the survival of your world. My world. Our world". I moved to hold her hands.

"She won't be", Furroh spoke. He walked towards Korra and me. "I'm going with her".

Korra instantly looked half worried, half dismayed. "You... don't have to do that".

"Yes, I do". The former Equalist teenager was adamant.

"Furroh". His sister came to his side. "Are you sure you want to do this? If... if they catch you, if Sojana catches you-".

"No, sis, none will. I, just like you, know what they think". He winked.

Iroh put a hand on his chin, deep in thought, then he said:"Hmm... My grandfather would respect the Avatar's instinct". He moved his hand down and looked to Korra. "So will I".

"I do respect the Avatar's decision", I spoke to the group, "but knowing myself, a stubborn son of a funny man, I won't leave her alone with just a kid". I turned to Furroh, smiling politely. "No offense".

"None taken" was his unexpected response.

"I'm going with the Avatar as well". My face turned serious.

Korra sighed. "This is the price of being your girlfriend, isn't it?".

I grinned. "No, it's a reward. You'll see".

After all that, we all went to prepare for our particular missions, while Iroh reorganized the United Forces and metalbending cop Special Force due to Korra wanting to face Amon right away, forcing us to draw some of our numbers away from the main body. When I was done, I went to sit next to Azara and Tanna, who were sitting in front of the same camp-fire I'd brought my female mentor close to. Also, she'd shrunk back to her human form, and was wearing clothes from some nice 'local' people. As soon as I sat down, Azara said:

"I heard that Korra decided to go to Air Temple Island to face Amon. She's as hard-headed as ever, huh?".

"I guess she never changes", Tanna suggested.

Laughing softly, I directed my girl friend:"You wanna bet on that? If you lose...".

Tanna quickly playfully punched my shoulder. "Oh, don't you dare think about it! Cheating on your girlfriend is not nice. I don't approve of that".

"Me neither", Azara added, but she giggled right after.

"Well, anyway", I stated, "her head is hard, mine is harder. I will make sure that she goes and returns safe and sound".

Then, there was a voice behind my back. "Like a tall, big, handsome, yet somehow annoying teensitter?".

I didn't even flinch. "Hey, Korra".

My girlfriend sat next to me. Feigning anger, she spoke to Azara, 'ignoring' me, her voice concerned:

"Are you feeling better?".

"As usual, young Avatar". Esillith's daughter smiled warmly. "Though someone is feeling worse, right Tanna?".

Feigning anger as well, Tanna announced:"Yeah, I'm definitely feeling worse... about babysitting this guitar of yours, Saudorn!".

Next, she tossed my guitar and lightly threw a pick towards me, me effortlessly catching them like a badass.

"Hey, be careful with it, girl!", I countered with mocked horror, "this is a timeless artifact. No joke. Though the pick is fine". I turned to Azara. "You forgot to give it to me, didn't you?".

My female mentor laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, that, and the fact that you hugged me really tightly".

"Oh, sorry about that". I laughed back.

Korra peered at it. "I saw it before, but... this thing still looks pretty cool!", she said excitedly, "so you can play guitar huh?".

"Electric guitar, to be exact", I corrected her with pride, "and it's made by Azara, so I don't have to worry about power source and stuff like that. I can play anywhere and anytime I want. But you already knew that".

Tanna clapped her hands together. "Awesome! Can you play a song right now?".

I looked at the refugees and saw that they were still pretty much active. So, I replied:"A song? No, I'll play many songs. Then, I'll teach you two ladies how to play guitar".

It was Korra's turn to punch my shoulder ( the other one, that is ). "Then do it already, Mr. Guitarist!".

"Sure thing, sugar". I grinned slyly. "But first, let me explain a couple things: The songs I knew are metal songs, which develope a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, hence the word 'metal', extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness, accompanied by strong/aggressive or emotionally powerful lyrics. Now, I need to show you two specific things: the Horns and headbanging".

"The Horns and headbanging? What're those?". Korra was confused.

I grinned. "The Horns, or the Devil's Horns, is a sign popularized by a man named Dio, who said that his grandmother used it to ward off the evil eye, a curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when they are unaware. Originally, it looked like this".

I made the sign according to Dio: Index finger up, middle fingers down, thumb in, to create the 'eye', and pinky up, moving close to Korra, then to Tanna in order for them to see clearly. After that, I continued:

"Over the years, as metal music became more popular, the meaning of the Horns was distorted a little bit, because of normal people finding this kind of music... 'evil', and the individuals paving the way for metal music simply not giving a damn, defying others' judgemental opinions. They started adhering the sign with 'Satan', or 'the Devil', a character in their main belief, thus 'transforming' 'the Horns' to 'the Devil's Horns'. Like this".

This time, I modified the sign a little, coiling the middle fingers. That, plus the tighter position of the thumb, made the sign looked like the horned head of Satan. Following this, I wrapped up my explanation.

"However, not many songs are evil. There are a great amount of songs about meaningful subjects. So in any case, the sign only means "Rock on!" or "Good times". Thus, you don't have to worry about 'evil' and stuff. Now, I want you to make the sign, like this, and like this". I made the two signs one more time for Tanna and Korra to memorize.

Shortly after that, both girls mimicked what I did, awkwardly. But with my and Azara's help, they soon 'mastered' them pretty quickly. Satisfied, I moved on to the next topic.

"Now is headbanging. Headbanging is violently shaking one's head in time with music, normally to whip long hair back and forth. I don't have particularly long hair; nevertheless, I aim to grow it. Yet, you, my ladies, can headbang majestically alright", I said, "but enough talk, let me show you what metal music and headbanging really are. First song, 'Anywhere in The Galaxy' by Gamma Ray, an awesome metal band from where I used to live".

And then, I started singing, beginning to move the pick along the strings, creating an acoustic melody ( well, sort of ):

"Staring

out the window

at places

in the starlit horizon.

I'm waiting

in the darkness

for arrival.

But the sands of my time

are running low!".

Suddenly, I stood up, began the song's thunderous opening riff and headbanged, not caring about everyone else. And then I kept singing.

"Running - low...!

Ohhhhhhh...!

Lost and stranded far away from home.

Peeping through the window in the darkness.

( Parted in our hearts )

Glowing, turning circles where we go.

( No, they won't let go, let go )

Blind our souls with raging, burning mad-ness!

Out in the heavens - we're ready to fight!

( Too late to cry )

The final conclusion is roaring inside!

( Too proud to die )

Gaze at the stars, the glowing god of mars

is shining for us, anywhere in the galaxy.

Time is right for us - to see,

the world will long for li-berty.

The fallen heroes calling me,

anywhere in the galaxy.

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

And now our blood is boiling

on the edge of life,

where is the place for our survival.

Up to the stars, we have come from the night!

( Too late to cry )

The final conclusion is roaring inside!

( Too proud to die )

Gaze at the stars, the glowing god of mars

is shining for us, anywhere in the galaxy.

Time is right for us - to see,

the world will long for li-berty.

Fallen heroes calling me,

anywhere in the galaxy.

Anywhere... in the galaxy,

we will fight - for our destiny.

Anywhere... in the galaxy,

we will al-ways run free.

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

And now the story finally ends...!

With no disgrace for our survi-val...!

Outrageous fury in my hands...!

And turning circles turn no more...!

( Too late - to cry! )

( Too proud - to die...! )

Gaze at the stars, the glowing god of mars

is shining for us, anywhere in the galaxy.

Time is right for us - to see,

the world will long for li-berty.

Fallen heroes calling me,

anywhere in the galaxy.

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

In the galaxy!

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

In the galaxy!

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

In the galaxy!

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

In the galaxy!

Anywhere... in the galaxy.

In the galaxy!

Anywhere... in the GA-LAXY...!".

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	34. Chapter 30

**Note: Hello, everybody! Iiiii'm back! Sorry for the wait. Last week, I got some pretty serious health issue that made me unable to concentrate on continuing this story. Once again, I apologize for the one-week "hiatus". To Matthew Gemm, a 4-way, you say? Well, it could be... _fatal_ ( ba dum tss ). And it's okay, I understand you were emotional, it was the hormones, right? xD . This chapter contains coarse language and a graphic torture scene. I don't own the songs Skeletons of Society by Slayer, Death's Empty Words and Flotsam and Jetsam's Cross The Sky. I don't own the Legend of Korra. Anyway, I have a surprise for you guys at the end of this chapter. Heh heh heh heh. Ha ha ha ha ha. Wah hahahaha- Perfectly normal.**

 **Chapter XXX ( Ah, shit ) - Skeletons of Society/It's Time**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, 'the Refugee Camp'.

Asami's p.o.v.

I looked at Furroh as he finished donning his Equalist uniform ( minus his name tag, that is ), the memory of the night before still was vivid in my mind: While Saudorn was doing his tricks with his guitar in the presence of everyone, I, Furroh and his sister had a great time altogether, listening to Korra's boyfriend "shredding" ( as he'd put it during one small break ) and... singing ( actually, he was screaming and growling and shouting and screaming some more. But it was quite entertaining, I admit ) and "headbanging" moderately. Yet the best of it all, was when Saudorn showed Furroh how to "shred" and "do solos", and my male cousin, being a quick learner himself, imitated his 'teacher' successfully. After that, he asked Saudorn to let him borrow the guitar in order to teach his sister and me.

To tell you the truth, it was not really hard to learn to play guitar as I was, and am, a... let's just say a 'technical' kind of gal. But I felt pretty embarrassed and awkward the moment Furroh stayed so close to me to instruct me on what to do, so embarrassed that it was nearly hysterically comical to everybody else. _At least my own boyfriend was not jealous, for once._ And Mako was, in truth, happy that I was able to have so much fun with my family- _That was it! That was what I felt the night before! To be among my family once more... If only Mom was here. If- only Mom was still... alive. And if only Dad- No, he's not my dad now, he's my enem- Ma-maybe I can persuade him to switch sides after-after apologizing to him for electroshocking him! But... would he accept that? Would he be willing to forgive me? Of course, I will forgive him! Because he treats Furroh and Simel like his own children, so it's no big deal at all! Right? Right._

Now shaking my head slightly, I focused on the present ( past ) and saw that Simel had walked to her big brother and they were, at the moment, embracing each other.

"Love you, big brother", Simel spoke, fairly emotional.

"Love you back, sis". He smiled at her, and then kissed her in both cheeks.

After that, they turned to look at me. Slowly realizing that I was going to cry, I rushed towards them and hugged them both. Then, I spoke to Furroh:

"You be careful, you hear? I want- I mean, I and your sister want to look at your handsome face again. So don't even have a scratch!".

Furroh grinned mischievously. "Don'y worry your beautiful face, Asami. I'll be fine".

 _I hope so, dear cousin. I really hope so._

...

Tanna's p.o.v.

"Korra, Saudorn", I said, trying to keep my admirer's tears in check, "Amon is a nasty individual, and Agrigula is... even nastier. Be careful".

Both of them, both in Equalist uniforms ( kind of, as Saudorn's was made of microorganisms ) hugged me, making me feel so warm. "I will. You stay safe, even when Azara is here, alright?". Korra smiled at me.

"You know me, I'm very familiar with the word 'safe' ", I joked.

They both laughed heartily. "Like a safe box?", Saudorn joked back, winking.

"Or maybe like a safe house?", Anyu chimed in.

That made the four of us giggle genuinely. Following it, both Saudorn and his Avatar girlfriend embraced Anyu as well.

"You go and kick their asses, Anyu. And like Slayer once sang...", Saudorn began.

"... 'Show No Mercy'! ", my best friend half-shouted, raising the horns in the air, grinning proudly.

"Awesome". Saudorn nodded satisfiedly.

Following that, he turned to look at Azara, smiled and winked at her. She, of course, winked back.

...

Korra's p.o.v.

Before I came to Saudorn's side to talk to Tanna and Anyu, I briefly had had a talk with Mako and Bolin, ending it with me instructing them both:

"If you're going into the mountains, you should bring Naga". Naga raised her head up and I nuzzled my companion. "Take good care of Bolin for me".

Once all was said and done, Iroh, the brothers, Asami, Anyu, Simel and Naga ( with Pabu staying on her back ) were headed towards the tunnel that would lead to other tunnels that would lead to the airfield. I looked on sadly as they ran further and further into that tunnel until I couldn't see them anymore. Next, the Special Forces, left by Iroh's right hand man, Lieutenant Yunpei, departed at once for their search-and-rescue mission. Right after that, before I, Saudorn and Furroh left, the hobo said:

"Good fortune". He raised his arms up. "And success to you". He brought his arms down and clutched his hands into fists. "Valiant heroes".

"Thank you". Saudorn nodded. "And stay safe".

When we were out of the tunnels, we walked into the water as I waterbent a bubble of water around us. As we got out of the water, I broke the bubble, moved onto the rocks along the shore and put on our chi blocker masks. Next, we began to climb up the slope. There, we saw an Equalist airship hovering above one of the towers. Then, we saw... Amon being brought up to the ship by a line and he boarding the airship!

"There's Amon", I uttered, trying not to sound too excited.

"I saw 'im", Saudorn confirmed. "But I don't see Agrigula, or any of his Warslaves, anywhere. This doesn't look right", after looking around for a bit, he added.

"Doesn't look right to me too". Furroh agreed with my boyfriend. _Everyyybody loves Saudorn._ "Soooo... should we go back?", he wondered quietly.

"No, not now". I shook my head. "We're already here. Might as well either look for prisoners or... find a good hiding spot to ambush Amon. I mean, you know, play along with them?".

"Sure, that sounds fun", Saudorn replied, obviously sarcastic, yet I couldn't tell whether he'd just rolled his eyes inside that mask or not.

Shortly later, we started walking towards the tower, seeing disgustingly and horribly mangled, disfigured, and even half-eaten corpses of quite a great amount of Republic City's citizens! There was blood everywhere! _Agrigula, how dare he-_ I heard Furroh trying not to gag.

"Spi-rits, blood... So much... blood. Oh Spirits. Oh, Spirits".

"I - love this hellish scene", Saudorn spoke. Next, he pushed the mask up just to reveal his nose, taking in a single whiff of the, maybe, foul stenches. "And I love the smells of blood, wildly chewed bodies and eldritch presences in the morning. Smell like... victory". And he revolted me. _Asshole!_

Furroh lost his breakfast immediately; thankfully, he didn't forget to remove his mask, though it was a really really risky move.

"Spirits! Fu- Are you okay?", I asked him, concerned.

The former Equalist teen, face down, hoarsely responded:"I... Ughhhh... I'm - fine. Just... The blood. Blood everywhere. And the smells... the smells... Oh!".

And he vomited again. Irate, I turned to Saudorn.

"What in damnation was wrong with you? How could you... say such thing while he's still around?", I chastised him, pointing at Furroh.

"Well, it's just a habit of mine, making use of a nice quote from a war back in my world. Also, it was featured in the song Napalm in The Morning by Sodom", my boyfriend calmly replied. Then, he added:"By the way, that was what I said everytime I was forced to watch where I hailed from get annihilated a little more and more every day. Sarcastically, of course".

 _Oh._ "Oh. I'm... sorry, I forgot- I forgot that your world was... destroyed too", I stammered.

"What are you doing here? Beside him throwing up all over the place".

 _Oh no, the Lieutenant!_

"We were just transferred, sir", Saudorn answered him collectedly, slightly modifying his voice, "and we were on our way to our new post when we saw the, ugh, human heap over here, and our little friend... Hamato Yoshi - spilled his breakfast. Right... Mari?".

I swiftly played along, distorting my voice a bit in order for the Lieutenant to not recognize me. "Right - Arlukk". _Arlukk? Why in blizzard did I use his name? I know he was a childhood crus- friend of mine- Oh, forget it. It doesn't matter._

"Well, you're getting transferred again. Amon wants extra security at the arena today. And if you don't want to try Amon's patience, I suggest you tell your... little friend to man up", the Lieutenant said matter-of-factly.

"The arena? For what?", I uttered, surprised.

He frowned. "The rally. You should have been briefed about this".

"We'll be there". I gave the Lieutenant a bow and Saudorn nodded. "Sir".

The Lieutenant, then, walked away. I gave my boyfriend a nudge and whispered:"I know another way in".

After collecting Furroh, making him wear the mask again, listening to him threaten Saudorn with violence for making him "suffer", while leading him to a secret entrance, I opened the small, wooden door built into the wall of the tower and we all crawled inside as the door shut behind us. The moment we were inside the tower, we ascended the stairs and walked across the room we were currently in, towards a ladder.

"Let's hide in the attic". I pointed at it.

We three climbed up. And when we reached the attic's floor, Saudorn looked forwards to the inside of the attic.

"We're not alone up here", he said simply.

I followed where my boyfriend was gazing at and saw a lone figure clad in blue being held behind bars. _No-freaking-way!_

"Tarrlok?", I uttered the figure's name.

...

Air Temple Island, inside the tower, that same morning.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

The night before, after finishing Gamma Ray's Anywhere in The Galaxy, I showed off my shredding and solo-ing skills with many other songs, such as: Iron Maiden's Wasted Years, Accept's Rolling Thunder, Sabaton's Metalizer, Grave Digger's Rebellion, and Anthrax's Metal Thrashing Mad, etc... It was a great night. Furroh was very good with shredding, but his solo-ing needed some more work. Also, Asami really blew me away with her learning! Her solo-ing was amazing! ( if I don't mention how awkward she felt when Furroh'd stood too close to her to show her what to do, that is ). As for Korra, well... I tried to teach her but she was really, and I meant _really_ , bad at this stuff. Therefore, in one of the breaks, I asked Azara whether she could make a bass guitar for my girlfriend to see if she could fare better or not ( though I was not quite good at playing bass guitar, I thought I could figure out together with her. You know, bonding and stuff. And boning, heh heh. If she was willing to wait for me, really ). And she said 'yes'!

Anyway, after all the rocking and ruling, it was time to sleep. Yet, I, infact, intended to ask Azara about that "I love you" bussiness; however, I was so tired, I slept like a log next to Furroh and Simel, the moment I closed my eyes ( actually, I wanted to sleep close to Korra. Nevertheless, the young Avatar was still wary when it came to me and her being alone with each other, kinda. So I approached the siblings and said I wanted to take the spot next to them, and would have been refused by Furroh, had his sister not succumbed to my charm, insisting otherwise ).

And now, here I was, inside one of the towers on Air Temple Island, in its attic, looking at Tarrlok, behind bars, trying to control my rage. _The motherfucker fuckin' bloodbent my Korra. And now... and now... here he is, delivered to me on a bloody silver platter. I could destroy the sickfuck right here, ending his miserable, goddamn life right now! I could kill him in so many fuckin' fucked-up ways, it'd be a delight to write a 'How To Cannibal Corpse-ishly Kill A Despicably Half-Assed, Hated Sack of Shit' book- Okay, okay, Saudorn, calm down. Calm. The fuck. Down. Just hear what the fucker has to say. Then, his entrails will be ripped out through his shit-filled anus!_

"We're not alone up here", I said simply.

Shortly later, Korra uttered:"Tarrlok?".

We all removed our masks, coming close to Tarrlok's cage ( it was, in truth, a cell, but I liked to think of it as a cage. Oh no, Steve, I was not savage, that comes later. I was only... psychotically filled with fuckin' hatred? ), seeing him all dishevelled-looking. _Oh, I'd love to fix him. Maybe... dissected disfigured-looking will suit him better. Like Cannibal Corpse's Mangled._

"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me", he said uninterestedly. _I would if I knew about it. I would so fuckin' rescue you, Tarrlok._

Korra was still surprised. "We had no idea you were here. Are there other prisoners on the island?".

He replied:"No". Then he looked down. "I and the sounds are the only ones". _The sounds?_

"What sounds?", Furroh wanted to know.

"The screaming of those people... outside". Tarrlok's voice trembled a little bit. Next, he composed himself. "Amon told me to ignore what would be going on out there. At first, I didn't know what he meant by that, now I do".

"Agrigula", Korra uttered one of my archenemies' name in a low voice.

"Yes". Tarrlok looked up and nodded.

"And Amon probably told Agrigula to spare you", I commented, "why?".

"Because...". He sighed. "I'm Amon's brother".

 _What?_

That was when I had another flashback: It was a Sunday morning, I was having breakfast while watching the Legend of Korra's eleventh episode "Skeletons in The Closet". As I was finishing my sandwich, Tarrlok revealed who Amon really was, almost making me choke. Next, I saw the scene of Yakone in a hospital's operating chamber, then I saw young Amon, or Noatak, and Tarrlok ( I have to admit, he looked pretty cute back then ), then their father teaching them how to waterbend... and bloodbend. Eventually, Yakone wanted them to bloodbend each other. _Typical._ And then, I remembered how and why hate clutched at Noatak's heart, and it all pointed to bending. _Hate, at the age of 14, and I didn't event comprehend it until I was 17._ After that, the flashback ended at the scene of Yakone leaving the table at dinner time, whereas Tarrlok and his mother ( very beautiful woman, I might add ) just sat there, sorrowful. It reminded me of Skeletons of Society by Slayer.

 _Minutes seem like days_

 _since fire ruled the sky._

 _The rich became the beggars_

 _and the fools became the wise._

 _Memories linger in my brain!_

 _Of burning from the acid rain!_

 _A pain - I - never - have won._

 _Nothing here remains._

 _No future and no past._

 _No one could foresee_

 _the end that came so fast._

 _Hear the Prophet make his guess_

 _that Paradise lies to the West._

 _So join his quest for - the sun!_

 _Shades of death are all I see._

 _Fragments of what used to be._

 _The world slowly decays._

 _Destruction fills my eyes._

 _Harboring the image_

 _of a spiraling demise!_

 _Burning winds release they fury,_

 _simulating judge and jury._

 _Drifting - flurries - of pain!_

 _Deafening silence reigns_

 _as twilight fills the sky._

 _Eventual - supremacy._

 _Daylight waits to die!_

 _Darkness always calls my name._

 _A pawn in this recurring game!_

 _Humanity - going - insane!_

 _Shades of death are all I see!_

 _Skeletons of society!_

 _Shades of death are all I see._

 _Fragments of what used to be._

 _Shades of death are all I see!_

 _Skeletons of society!_

 _Minutes seem like days,_

 _corrosion fills the sky._

 _Morbid dreams of anarchy_

 _brought judgement in disguise._

 _Memories linger in my brain!_

 _Life with nothing more to gain!_

 _Perpetual - madness - remains!_

 _Shades of death are all I see!_

 _Skeletons of society!_

 _Fragments of what used to be!_

 _Skeletons of society!_

"Amon is from the Northern Water Tribe. He's a waterbender and a bloodbender, just like I was".

"Holy cow", Furroh whispered.

Korra, all the while, looked shocked now.

"Did you know this all along?", I inquired Tarrlok.

"No". The former Councilman shook his head. "Not until after he captured me".

Korra was curious. "How did your brother end up becoming Amon?".

Tarrlok responded:"It all began with my father, Yakone. With the help of his former gang, he escaped prison and underwent surgery to change his appearance. He assumed a new identity, and settled down in the Northern Water Tribe. That's where ( and _how_ ) he met my mother. A warm, caring woman. Before long, they started a family together. Amon was the first born, under the name Noatak. I was born three years later. Noatak was a good natured kid, always looking out for me". _Of course, evil infests, never infects._ "Those were the good years before my brother and I discovered we were waterbenders. At first, we were excited by our new abilities, but our training brought out a different side of my father". _The old side, no doubt._

Following that, Tarrlok told of how cruel and demanding his father was, always favoring Amon just because of his firstborn's perfectly practiced waterbending. Nonetheless, Yakone was not really that loving and warm towards Amon either. When it came to bending training, he was not their father, he was their drill sergeant. He wanted obedience and result, and nothing else. Next, the moment Yakone was to teach the boys of how to bloodbend, Tarrlok discovered that his family had "the strongest line of bloodbenders in history". _Something to be proud of, if used wisely. But, no, it has to be used for evil purposes. Because... BLOODbending, right?_ Shortly after, Yakone assigned the boys their life missions: "Become bloodbenders of the highest order", "claim Republic City" and "destroy the Avatar". They must avenge him. _Use his own sons as tools of revenge, and he dared call himself a man. Disgraceful._

Tarrlok continued:"The good days were behind us. Every full moon, our father took us on another supposed hunting trip where he secretly trained us in bloodbending. We kept the truth from our mother".

Once the boys perfected their bloodbending stances, Yakone wanted them to practice bloodbending... on animals. _Disgustingly despicable._ But what was even more despicable, was the fact that Amon began to master bloodbending. _His soul now must be as hate-filled as a vengeful spirit, as dark as a bottomless pit, and as hollow as the Joker's._

"A few years later, my father taught us to bloodbender any time without the need of the full moon". _Here extreme evil rises._ "We practiced constantly and... I hated every minute of it". _And you bloodbent my girlfriend perfectly. Your father must be proud. But I'll soon wipe his spectral smile off his phantasmal face when I crush you to bloody, crimson pulp._ "I had no stomach for manipulating helpless animals. My brother however, seemed to revel in his newfound power". _Sure! It's an awesome ability, am I right? "Wow, I am able to make animals obey my will, kind of, and now I'm the fuckin' best! I'm the king of the world! Whoo!"._ "He was a prodigy, mastering my father's psychic bloodbending method by the time he was fourteen. Even though Noatak was my father's favorite, it wasn't any easier for him. He carried the burden of all Yakone's expectations and demands. Something changed in Noatak over the years". _It's called 'hate', pal. But not the kind of hate Batman and Punisher had in them, though._ "The loving brother I once knew became cold and detached". _Oh. Okay, I guess 'devoiding of joy' first, then._ "Our father pushed us to extremes and one day, he made us bloodbend each other". _Well, here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the motherfuckin' main event. Good shit._

And then, Tarrlok told of how it'd happened: First, Amon bloodbent his own brother, then, Yakone urged his second son to do the same. Second, Tarrlok refused, Yakone was angry, he was going to beat his useless son. Third, Noatak bloodbent him, protecting his younger brother. Finally, Noatak wanted to run away and prompted Tarrlok to do the same. However, Tarrlok hesitated, he didn't want to abandon his mother. So, Noatak left, and Yakone and his now only son returned home. The end. _Sort of like every main event from PG wwe, a disappointment. But at least Noatak did a face, then heel turn, soooo... yay?_

"My father and I searched for days but we never found a sign of Noatak. We thought he perished in that storm". _Oh, please, he knew how to waterbend at that time already. How the hell could he - perish - right then and there? This is not some Michael Myer bullshit, okay?_ ( hey, don't be mad at me, I'm a Halloween fan too. I was just saying ). "My mother was never the same after the loss of my brother. My father stopped training me". _But there was enough to sink in, right?_ "With Noatak gone, his hopes for revenge was too. And he passed away a few years later".

I turned to Korra in time to see her look down with sadness. "That's one of the saddest stories I've ever heard".

"Yeah". Furroh agreed. _Did he just... sniffle?_

"Avatar Korra", Tarrlok directed my girlfriend. _Now you say her full name with respect. Even with that backstory, I still say 'fuck you'._ "I am truly sorry for all that I did to you. I thought I was better than my father, but his ghost still shaped me. I became a soldier of revenge". _Huh? Is the soap opera over yet?_ "Just like he wanted me to be. And so did my brother. The revolution may be built on a lie, but I think Amon truly believes bending is the source of all evil in the world".

"While he stands next to an even greater evil. That's smart". I sneered, getting a slight elbow to the rib from Furroh.

"How did you figure out Amon is your brother?". Korra wanted to know.

"When he took my bending, the sensation was somehow familiar. I later recognized it as my brother's bloodbending grip", Tarrlok replied.

"So, he somehow uses bloodbending to take people's bending", my girlfriend deducted.

"And who do you think made it possible? Agrigula", I interjected.

"Maybe. But then again, I've never encountered a bender as strong as Noatak".

Korra looked concerned. "How in the world do we beat him?".

"You can't", Furroh said, "Any attack you throw at him, he'll re-direct with his mind. That's how he has been able to challenge any bender".

My girlfriend walked to the right. "So much for our ambush. If we stay here, we're toast". She stopped, then, she turned around with a smile on her face. "But there's another way to beat him!".

Furroh was confused. "How?".

I smiled knowingly, having had an idea of where she was gonna go with this. "I'm listening".

"This whole time, Amon has been one step ahead of us but finally, we". She placed her fist on her chest. "Have the advantage. We know the truth about him. If we expose him as a bender in front of all his supporters...".

Having realized now what Korra meant, Furroh finished the sentence for her, with excitement:"At the rally!".

"We could take away his true power!". Korra sounded triumphant.

"And undermine this whole revolution". Furroh nodded.

The young Avatar turned to Tarrlok. "Thank you, for your help". Furroh began to walk off. "We can't just leave him here".

"Go", Tarrlok urged, standing up, "Amon can't know anyone spoke with me. Defeat him". He grabbed the bars with both hands. "Put an end to this sad story".

Korra looked a bit sad, but nodded and her expression changed to resolve. As she and Furroh was about to leave, I spoke:

"You two go. I need to talk with Tarrlok about something".

"Saudorn, I know you may feel angry when Tarrlok kidnapped me, but we don't have ti-".

"It's not about that. It's about something else. I promise I'll be quick. Just go".

Korra hesitated, but then Furroh grasped her arm and pulled her away, just not before saying:"You'd better be quick, or I'll go back in and kick your butt thoroughly, you hear me?".

"Yeah, I heard you". I grinned.

Once they were gone, I used the microorganisms to seal the hatch which led down to the room below. After that, I coated the whole floor, walls and ceiling with microorganisms and made the 'sheets' soundproof. Next, I approached Tarrlok's cage.

"Now it's just you and me".

"I know what you're going to do". Tarrlok's voice was quite surprisingly calm. "Just make it quick".

I chuckled. "That is where you're wrong, my friend". I covered some of the cage's front bars with my little guys and used them to ripped the cell a big hole, quite. With that, I entered Tarrlok's lockup with a sinister smile on my face, causing the former Councilman's face to be laden with fear. "I'm not gonna make it quick!", I altered my voice, making it sound demonic, "I'm gonna make. You. Suffer. But before that, I gotta ask you something: Do you still remember what you said to Korra and me after calling her half-baked? "She had best stay out of my way". And do you still remember the words I used to threaten you with? "I'm going to wipe that face off your skull" ".

"Now, you're here, Tarrlok, and Korra is out there. It just seems to me that your threat, or warning, or whatever, was just empty words". My voice now returned to normal again. "And, buddy", I controlled the microorganisms inside Tarrlok's body and immobilized him, lifting him up in the air, "I despise... EMPTY WORDS!".

Using my living being manipulation, I made Tarrlok hurt from the bones, him screaming in utter pain. Then, I caused his stomach to secret very fast higher volume of stomach acid than normal, introducing him to intense burning in his chest and severe abdominal pain. After that, I started savagely ripping his nails out from his fingers and toes, one by one, him beginning to bleed. Following this, I forcefully removed several of his 206 bones, only from his arms and legs, then used them to cut a big gash along his stomach, utilizing my ability to prevent excessive blood loss; and then, I proceed to guide his intestines outside.

Having seen his memories the moment I connected with his consciousness, I said:"You told Korra you were "to be the city's savior". But deep down, you knew it was a lie. Deep down, you knew, you only spewed forth... EMPTY... WORDS!".

I moved the intestines close to Tarrlok's mouth, and forced them down his throat, leading them out the gash, only to put the whole length back down his throat, out of his stomach wound, and next, I strangled him with his own entrails, Death's Empty Words playing in my mind.

 _Ashes and promises share a bond_

 _through the winds of change!_

 _Words are - blown away_

 _when visions that should be_

 _are tattooed in your mind!_

 _The power to let go_

 _is sometimes hard to find!_

 _The answer cannot - be found_

 _in the writing of others,_

 _or the words of a trained mind!_

 _In a precious world of - memories,_

 _we find ourselves confined!_

 _Claws - so - razor sharp!_

 _Ripping - at - the - spirit!_

 _Promises - a potential - to hurt!_

 _Is anything real?_

 _When forever - is to be until_

 _deep inside, in the world of - empty words!_

 _No escaping - from those haunting..._

 _Empty words!_

 _Do you - ever feel it?_

 _A craving - that is so strong!_

 _To, by thought, rewind in order - to find!_

 _Expectations that shined through the doubt!_

 _That soon would turn into the price_

 _of what a word will be worth!_

 _When tomorrow comes_

 _to be, and we are left_

 _standing on our own_

 _and seeing what is real!_

 _The answer cannot - be found_

 _in the writing of others,_

 _or the words of a trained mind!_

 _In a precious world of - memories,_

 _we find ourselves confined!_

 _Claws - so - razor sharp!_

 _Ripping - at - the - spirit!_

 _Promises - a potential - to hurt!_

 _Is anything real?_

 _When forever - is to be until_

 _deep inside, in the world of - empty words!_

 _No escaping - from those haunting..._

 _Empty words...!_

 _EMPTY - WORDS...!_

 _EMPTY - WORDS...!_

...

Air Temple Island, outside the tower, midday.

Korra's p.o.v.

 _Spirits, what took him so damn long? Is he hurting Tarrlok now? Or is he just talking to him? Damn it, Saudorn, why did you have to attempt something like that?_

"I can't wait any longer, I have to go in and see what's been going on in there", I curtly told Furroh after waiting for, like, an eternity ( actually only fifteen minutes ).

Before I even lifted my right foot to move, the former Equalist teen put his hand on my shoulder to stop me, then, he quickly withdraw, as if realizing what he'd done. _Guess he's still haunted by what he did, or was forced to do, to me._ "I don't think wasting time going up there again is a good idea, Korra- I mean, Avatar Korra", he said.

"And why is that, Furroh?". I felt my voice was a bit harsh, and I winced inwardly.

"Because". Furroh turned towards the tower's entrance. "He finished whatever his business was".

I immediately looked to where my new ally was looking at, and there he was. Not waiting for him to talk, I bombarded him with questions.

"What did you do to Tarrlok? Is he alright? Tell me you were just talking to him. You were just talking to him, right?".

"Of course I was, sweethea-".

"Of course he was, Avatar Korra", someone directed me, cutting him off.

I rushed to the stonesteps, and I saw Agrigula, the creepy thin man, and many, so many abominations called Warslaves around those two. _Damnation, this is not good._ Having approached me and stood by my side, my boyfriend called down to Agrigula:

"Agrigula, what a surprise! And I thought you didn't know how to set an elaborate trap".

"Oh, this is simple, really. But the amazing part is: You, of all people, let your girlfriend and that traitor walk into my trap while you smelt bullshit all along. Some Guardian you're gonna be, Father". Agrigula laughed aloud.

"What is he on about with that guardian business?". I was confused.

"One of the perks of being one of my _unfinished_ creations: a banana", he spoke out loud, grinning at me.

"Oh Father, you're so funny. Let's see if this banana's legion can capture you, the fruitcake". Agrigula sneered. "Warslaves, time to get your ultimate prizes".

Instantly, the monsters began to walk up the steps, growling menacingly and eagerly, prompting me and Furroh to take fighting stances. A little worried, I asked Saudorn:"Think we can take care of them all?".

After creating a bow and a bunch of arrows, my boyfriend started shooting at the monstrosities, aiming at the bandage-headed, flame-blasting, and warrior ones' heads and the disfigured ones'... pustules. _Ugh. Those yellow growths make me want to vomit. So disgusting. But it's much, much worse when those sizable horrors explode!_ Once he eliminated some, he turned to me and Furroh.

"We entertain them for a while, then we haul ass. Korra, can you bend water like Anyu?".

I laughed. "Are you kidding me? I was taught by Katara! Well, since I was five anyway; not sure if I still remember some of her advanced methods. But you should meet her sometimes, she's awesome".

"Wait a minute", Furroh interrupted me, "are you talking about Katara? The legendary Katara?".

"Yep". I winked. Then, a thought passed my mind. "Wait, are you going to blame her for nonbenders' plight too? Because if you are, I swear I'll-".

"Whoa, whoa, Korra- I mean, Avatar Korra, I didn't mean that at all! It's just... well, my father used to talk about her all the time. I think he admired her".

"Bad guy gone good admiring good gal, huh?". Saudorn chuckled, obliterating some more of our advancing enemies. "Of course he couldn't help it. No offense. Katara was, and still is, awesome".

"None taken", Furroh replied to me nonchalantly.

"Yeah, yeah, I just said that". I lightly punched Saudorn's shoulder. "Anyway, what did you have in mind for our escape plan?".

He looked to the water of Yue Bay. "I want you to bend, when the time comes, the water out there, guiding it here, freeze it and get us the hell out of here. Sounds do-able?".

"Sounds simple enough", I replied, grinning, feeling confident and more importantly, starting to feel connected with him again.

He nodded. "Good. Now, Korra, I want you to firebend at them and scorch them all, except for the explody ones. Use your earthbending to catapult them away. Furroh, you are to use electric blasts to knock the cheating ones who're now beginning to crawl up the stonesteps' sides to where we are; yeah, the ones to your right. I'll take care of the left".

"What about Agrigula and Creepy Thin Man?", I inquired.

"When they decide to join the party, we hightail our asses away".

"Then, let's do it!".

And so, for about twenty-five minutes, we fought off the sea of pressing-on enemies, terminating countless of them. It was pretty fun at first, but when tiredness began to set in, and when the smell of burning flesh, exploded bodies and blood got fairly overwhelming, I thought of bending Yue Bay's water in here as soon as possible. Notwithstanding, I had to help Saudorn and Furroh keep them at bay, or we'd be overrun in no time! Sensing our tiredness, Saudorn swiftly raised a wall on one of the stonesteps. Then, he directed me:

"Time to go. Do it, Korra!".

Hurriedly, I concentrated on waterbending, making the water rise and guiding it forwards to us. That was when I heard the sound of cackling above us.

"Some labor, young Avatar. But it is of no use!", Creepy Thin Man said out loud, standing by Agrigula's side, on top of the 'wall', one hand holding... _What kind of sword is that? It looks nastily revolting!_

Rapidly, Saudorm formed a normal sword and tossed it towards Furroh, while making a long-handled battle mace for himself. "Furroh, catch!".

Right when he caught the 'weapon', Agrigula and Creepy Thin Man jumped down to engage Saudorn and me and Furroh, respectively, the latter aiming for me first. However, the foul blade was blocked by Furroh's. Briskly, I firebent at him, burning all of his clothes, revealing... _Spirits, his body! Oh Goodness!_ His whole body, from the chest down, including his big... member, was just decayed and ruptured flesh!

"Enjoying the view, baby? Yeah, it was great to have my cock inside your tight mouth. It was like your mouth and throat... were made just for me". Creepy Thin Man smiled deviously.

 _He forced that thing in my mouth while I was... raped?_ Now I felt like I was gonna retch, memories of that abhorrent event returning to my mind.

"You disgusting scumbag, you and Sojana forced me to rape the Avatar, while you raping my sister. And then, you violated someone that was supposed to protect us!", someone to my right shouted.

"Oh, Furroh, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it. You had the privilege to deflower the Avatar, remember? And don't tell me her body didn't feel great against yours".

Unable to control my inner emotions anymore, I cried out in utter rage, coming at the bastard, blindingly bending all three elements at him, him reflexedly dodging all of my barrages. Next, I suddenly saw the shape of the monstrous blade, which was about to connect with either my neck or my rib. Nevertheless, Furroh's sword saved me once again, the teen himself furiously slashing and hacking at the despicable Creepy Thin Man, the man-monster quickly using his saber to meet with each blow of ire. Knowing that Furroh alone couldn't beat Creepy Thin Man, I immediately came to his help, firebending and earthbending at our own archenemy.

Somehow, despite all our efforts, Creepy Thin Man fleetly retaliated, utilizing his sword to deflect my fireballs and rocks right back at me, causing me to dodge them narrowly, all the while him fending off Furroh with his left punches. Right at that moment, I saw Creepy Thin Man bring his left hand up, his fingers clutching thin air; then, I heard Furroh gasp breathlessly! _How- Never mind, I must save him!_ Rushing at my enemy, I angrily, yet collectedly, engaged with him in a fierce hand-to-hand combat, me using firebending like Lord Zuko used to show me. And surprisingly, I was able to corner him against the 'wall'! After that, with waterbending, I hurled an iced bludgeon towards my violator, prompting him to release Furroh in order to cut the big piece of ice in halves with his blade. Seconds later, just as the ice was split in two, the former Equalist teenager threw 'his' 'sword' at Creepy Thin Man, and more impressively, he'd aimed right at his heart, impaling him completely to the 'wall'!

"How does that feel now, you bastard? Hurts pretty much, right?". I smiled cockily.

Before my enemy had a chance to retort, I bent a rock straight at him, knocking him right through the 'wall', catapulting him right down to the bottom of the stonesteps! At that moment, Saudorn was fighting ferociously with Agrigula, his whip and many of his enemy's tendrils entangled altogether, forcing them to use their left and right hand. Saudorn, now with some kind of 'cleaver'; Agrigula, with his swordfish hand. And I was, all of a sudden, very worried. _Saudorn looks so tired, we need to help him!_

"Come on, Furroh, let's help my boyfriend!", I urged my new ally, not realizing the horrible thing I was going to do.

As we was approaching Saudorn and his mortal enemy, my boyfriend called out:

"No, don't come near us, this is between me and him!".

While he was distracted by me ( yes, I distracted him ), Agrigula laughed maliciously, pulling Saudorn forwards, while preparing to thrust his blade at him. I was horrified. So, I earthbent myself between my boyfriend and one of his archenemies, seeing the horror in his eyes. Speedily, he let go of his whip so as to turn me around.

Right after that, the blade went right through him...

I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. Time seemed to stand still. Next, I heard him sing the chorus of Flotsam and Jetsam's Cross The Sky.

"I gotta believe there's a soul to save, as I race across the sky...".

A moment later, like dust, he began to disintegrate. My vision now was blurry. I was crying. And then, I saw Furroh's face, I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I subconsciously did it anyway. I bent the water to where we stood and froze it, with great speed; and next, I and Furroh ran and ran and ran and ran... and the next thing I knew, we were underwater, the rest of Flotsam and Jetsam's Cross The Sky echoing in my head.

 _As I lay here bleeding,_

 _my eyes are fixed on the - sky._

 _Hero down for a reason,_

 _it looks like my time - to die._

 _I never thought I'd be taken - down._

 _Flat on my back, seeing - stars._

 _Gotta rethink my strategy._

 _I hope it ain't my time._

 _I gotta believe there's a soul - to save_

 _as I race across the sky._

 _I gotta believe there is still some - good_

 _as I look you in the eye!_

 _There's gotta be someone worth fighting for_

 _as I look at you and sigh._

 _I gotta believe there's a soul to save_

 _As I race across the sky...!_

 _As I lay here bleeding,_

 _I wonder what will be next?_

 _Was I ever a hero?_

 _I think it's - my time - to die._

 _I can sure be taken down._

 _The power of one frail voice._

 _Gotta give up on strategy._

 _I think it's my time - to die._

 _I gotta believe there's a soul - to save_

 _as I race across the sky._

 _I gotta believe there is still some - good_

 _as I look you in the eye!_

...

Republic City, "the Refugee Camp", at that same moment.

Azara's p.o.v.

After recovering Hejusha, which'd travelled back to me, crashing down on the ground, the moment Saudorn was 'dead', I quickly froze everybody in the camp, using my time manipulation. Next, I contacted my father with our cosmic link.

"Father, it is done. Is he alright?".

"He'll be fine. Death sensation didn't catch up too sharply with him. He's being treated right now".

I sighed in relief. "So, what's next, Father? Will you begin the Ceremony when he wakes up?".

"Not until Agrigula is annihilated. Now, onto a more important matter, are you sure Sojana is still alive?".

"I'm sure, Father. She is alive, and is off-world, for now. Probably to get herself a new pet. Anyhow, she will return, and I will capture her".

"You'd better. She is essential to finding out who is really behind all this. I have my suspicion, but we need evidence. The Elders and Others won't act without substantial evidence, sadly".

"They will have their evidence. However, the Guardian needs a successor before long. I fear the more time we waste, the less useful I'll be".

"Don't be ridiculous, Azara. You are past your Prime, it's true, but you, are still my daughter. Furthermore, are you willing to let Averda mock you one more time?".

I chuckled. "Father, you knew she'll keep doing that no matter what. Also, I want Moresh to make Korra a bass guitar as fast as he can. You know, order from the Guardian-to-be. I'd love to make her one; nonetheless, time is running out, so I have no choice but let Moresh brag about his fabricating skills, again. But enough small talk, I'll send you a report as soon as the war here reaches the final stage. Now I'm needed elsewhere. I love you. Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo".

"I love you too, Daughter. And Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo, Azara".

Once the communication was finished, I unfroze Tanna, explaining to her why she felt a bit woozy. After that, I instructed her:

"As soon as I unfreeze everybody, tell them not to panic as they can't go out of the Camp's perimeter anymore. It's just, uh, the Spirits' time barrier, here to keep them safe. Yeah, just tell them that".

Before I was about to leave, Tanna inquired:"Where do you go now?".

"Someone out there needs me". I winked. "And don't worry, it's completely secure here. You only have to endure 'til the next dawn. Probably".

With that, I ran towards one of the tunnels. And once I was in there, I snapped my fingers, releasing everyone else from being frozen. _Hang in there, Avatar Korra, I'm coming._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	35. Chapter 31

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language. I don't own the song Numb by Exodus. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXXI - Against Evil**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

In the mountains outside Republic City near the Equalist airfield, in the morning.

Asami's p.o.v.

After riding on Naga and walking ( General Iroh, me, Bolin and Pabu staying on the polar bear-dog's back while Mako, Anyu and Simel acting as our 'escorts' ) for a time, sometimes stopping and anxiously taking cover when Equalist biplanes occasionally flew back and forth over our heads, we arrived at a cliff overlooking the enemies' airfield.

"I think we found our secret airfield", General Iroh announced, "Bolin, once we get down there I need you to tear up those runways. We can't let more aircrafts take off". Next, he got off Naga, addressing me, Mako, Anyu and Simel:"Asami, Mako, Anyu - Simel will be your squad leader - as she clearly knows how those flying machines' engines work, and your objective is to subtly sabotage as many of them as possible. Then, we'll subdue all of the Equalists in the environs. Any question?".

"Yes, General, sir", Mako spoke, "you said that I, Asami, Anyu and Simel need to sabotage a great amount of those planes, but what about the rest? I mean, what if we're detected and some of the Equalists decide to use them to speed up whatever their current plan is?".

"In that case, I'll go after them and stop them", Iroh replied simply.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, sir", Simel said, "but don't you think you need backup for that?".

"I don't, and I'll be fine. Not because I'm powerful or anything, but because _you_ are needed there, in the airfield. Your objective is of the most important, and if you succeed, most of Amon's army will be severely crippled, thus making Commander Bumi's job a little easier. Though I guess I'll have to personally explain to him in order for him to not accuse me of... taking all the credits. Is everybody clear?".

"Aye aye, Captain. Ooh. General, general", Bolin goofily responded, after jumping off our mount.

The rest of us replied in unison that we were all clear. Bolin, then, turned to instructed Naga and Pabu:

"All right, you guys wait here until we get back. Okay?".

Once he began to leave like everyone else, Naga immediately tried to follow us. Before Bolin could speak, I directed the polar-bear dog:

"If we took too long to return, you can come and save our butts".

Upon hearing that, Naga stopped right away and sat down on her hind legs, her tongue lolling, her looking happy. Probably because I pointed out that we wouldn't let her and Pabu play second fiddle ( as Saudorn'd put it ) to us. The moment we moved again, Bolin looked at me, impressed.

"I thought you didn't know how to handle big dogs- I mean, a big polar bear-dog".

I chuckled. "Well, when my mom was still alive, we used to have a big puppy, even thought he was not as big as Naga", I explained to him, sounding pretty proud. After all, Shizu was a sweet boy... and my first true friend. "It was my dad and me who trained him to obey us. So, you know, it's not really a big deal".

"Cool". Bolin was in awe. "I think, after all this, I'll get myself a dog!".

"And I'll help you adopt one". I smiled at him.

"Thanks! You're the best!", Bolin exclaimed moderately excitedly.

After that, we walked towards what we believed were just fence posts with no fence wires, approaching them. _Why would there be fence posts, but no fence?_

Simel suddenly said, looking right at it:"Alright, everyone, let's be cautious. This is an invisible electric fence. So no touching!".

Then, we all yelled out loud in pain as electricity courses through us. In split seconds before I dropped to the snow-covered ground and passed out, I saw that Bolin was about to fall on his back, his right arm and fingers outstretched. _And he has to do it. So much for our most important objective._

...

Republic City, Republic City port, after-midday.

Furroh's p.o.v.

After witnessing Saudorn's shocking death, and after getting the dismayed Avatar away from Air Temple Island, we'd gotten to the city's port and hid inside one of the trading ships in case Agrigula ordered some of his monsters to pursue us. There, Korra sat down in a corner, hugging her knees, head down, and crying in distress. She mumbled her boyfriend's name and blamed herself over and over and over. I tried to comfort her and remind her of what was at stake multiple times, but each time, she harshly pushed me away, telling me to leave her alone. She even threatened to hurt me if I stayed too close to her, frustrating me greatly.

 _Unbelievable, right at when we have an advantage over Amon, Saudorn dies, and then, the Avatar is mounring her boyfriend's death! I know I'll come off as an asshole, but if Korra keeps doing this, the opportunity to stop Amon and weaken the alliance between the Equalists and the Legion of War will vanish! Poof. Gone! Well, I could even be a bigger asshole by letting her stay here and just come to the Arena to expose Amon for the fraud he is! And speaking of which, I can't believe he's a bender all along! All of the Equalists trusted him. We all trusted him! And now, all is only a lie. If Liao Zu know this, he'll be pissed. Very, very pissed. He was badly beaten and his wife was raped and murdered by benders, after all. Ohhhh... What in damnation am I gonna do now?_

 _Let me talk to her._

 _Who-_

Immediately, I focused again and saw Azara stand at the entrance, a few meters away from me.

"Azara?". I looked at her, confused. "How... did you find us?".

"Didn't I tell you about who I truly am last night?". She tilted her head to one side.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. But, anyway, did you know- Wait, you also knew already, didn't you?".

She nodded. "As a matter of fact, I did. We don't have time now, let me talk to Korra".

Upon hearing that, I humbly stood aside and let the Lady-Guardian approach the still-crying Avatar, following the former. Once she stood right in front Korra, she slowly dropped down on one knee and put her right hand on Korra's left knee. Saudorn's girlfriend looked up instantly.

"Azara?". She was surprised to see Saudorn's female mentor before her. "Wha-what are you doing here? How-".

"Shhh... It's alright, Korra, I'm here to help you". Azara gently placed a finger on the young Avatar's lips to silence her.

"How? S-Saudorn... He's dead. It was... it was all my fault". Korra began to sob again, moving to hug her.

"No, sweetheart, it was not. You'll understand". Azara kind-heartedly embraced her. "Now, I want you to have this". Lightly taking Korra's hand, Azara's other hand reached into one of her pant pockets and pulled out a... small, pretty weird-looking eight-pointed star and a folded piece of paper, putting them onto it.

Korra looked bewildered. And I was too. _What in Spirits' names does that mean?_ "What... are these?".

"My other gifts to you, young Avatar". Azara smiled, closing Korra's fingers over the objects. "First, listen to me very carefully. I make this specifically for you. Therefore, I want you to never lose it. Second, when the war is over, read the instructions I left for you in the piece of paper, and follow every step exactly as depicted. I can't tell you what it is all about, but I assure you, it is of the utmost importance". Next, Azara stood up, tenderly pulling Korra up on her feet. "And finally, you wanted to confront Amon and deal with him once and for all, so that's precisely what you are gonna do. For Saudorn's sake, you will not mourn him now and abandon your most fundamental tasks as the Avatar: Master all four elements and bring balance to the world. In a war, there are costs and casualties, that is unavoidable; however, the Avatar, like the Guardian, never despairs, never doubts themself, and does what they believe is right, to the end".

"Korra, being the Avatar is your dream come true, but there is so much more than dreaming to be such a being. You _are_ the Avatar, you are this world embodiment of peace and order, and love... So, let's just go out there and kick some serious asses!".

Both of I and Korra just stared at Azara because of her sudden enthusiasm near the end of her motivational speech. Then, Korra began to speak:

"But what about your... gifts? Where am I supposed to put them away? My pants don't have pocke-".

At once, Azara turned to me. "Furroh, turn away, now".

"B-but why?".

Before Azara could say anything else, I nearly freaked out, ( for I was, then, reminded of the naughty times in the relationship between me and Simel when we were a bit younger, her always teasing me by placing things in her cleavage in front of me, supported by a bra ) turning away.

"Oh Spirits, Azara! You know I can't afford to look at the Avatar that way after I... violated her!". _After this, it's going to be really awkward._

"What did he mean by that?". I heard Korra inquire Saudorn's girlfriend.

"The only secure place for a woman to put away her treasure is... there".

Silence. _Oh, boy._ Then...

"You can't be serious!", Korra said aloud, her voice sounding appalled.

"Sweetheart, you're away from the real world for far too long, it's time you catch up with it a little bit".

"Now and then, I don't know if you're sweet and kind or just plain devious anymore".

 _Probably both._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After putting Azara's gifts where she'd indicated ( I still can't believe she actually wanted me to put them there! ), I and Furroh followed Azara out of the ship and were headed to the Arena ( with Azara wearing her own Equalist uniform, fabricated by using her "cosmic powers", as she'd explained to me and the former Equalist teenager on the way ). The moment we were inside the building, we went to one of the balconies to wait for Amon to show himself, nodding at each other.

And soon enough, Amon rose to the stage while the crowd cheered him on. _Just wait, Amon, your lie will fall apart like a mirror falling down to the ground and... falling apart._

The leader of the Equalists raised his left arm high in the air. "Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion", he spoke, "when I was a boy, a firebender struck down my entire family and left me scarred. That tragic event began my quest to equalize the world".

Instantly, I interjected:"That's a lie. Amon". In unison, I, Azara and Furroh pulled the masks over our heads, revealing ourselves. "Or should I call you Noatak?". _I've got you now, you bastard._

Next, the Lieutenant approached Amon and whispered something in his ear. After that, Amon directed the crowd:

"Everyone calm down. We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's hear what she has to say".

 _Oh, you cocky son of a wolf-bat, I hate you._

"Amon has been lying to you". I turned to the audience. "The spirits didn't give him the power to take people's bending away; he uses bloodbending to do it. Amon is a waterbender!".

And they gasped aloud.

The Lieutenant spoke softly to Amon again, but he seemed to ignore him. _Good, the seed of doubt has been planted in his Lieutenant's mind._

"You're desperate, Avatar. Making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort". _Am I now._

"Your family wasn't killed by a firebender", I said to Amon. Then, I turned to the crowd once again. "His father was Yakone, and his brother is Councilman Tarrlok".

More people from the audience gasped aloud. Everyone was discussing out loud with one another at that moment.

"An amusing tale, but I will show you the truth". Amon started taking off his mask, and was revealed... to be have a very badly burn scar across his entire face! _How is it possible? I can't believe this. Did Tarrlok lie to me, Furroh and Saudorn back there? Is this his idea of the final payback?_ The whole crowd was in deep shock and disgust. Amon, then, pointed to himself. "This is what a firebender did to me".

An audience member yelled angrily:"The Avatar is lying!".

"No!". I began to panic. "I'm telling you, he's a waterbender!". I desperately turned to Azara and Furroh. "They don't believe me. It didn't work. Did I get it all wrong?".

"No, you got it right. Tarrlok spoke the truth. Amon is just being... thorough. Let's get out of here", Azara said.

Furroh nodded in agreement. "We said what we had to. Time to fly".

That was when Equalist grunts arrived to stop us.

"I wouldn't leave yet, Avatar. You'll miss the main event". I heard Amon direct me, his voice sounding so annoyingly taunting.

Following that, the stage raised... Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, all gagged and chained to posts!

"No. They got away. We saw them get away", I muttered in shock.

...

In an Equalist prison cell, somewhere in the airfield, at the same moment in the Arena.

Simel's p.o.v.

After being electroshocked, I didn't know how long we were out cold, but when I came to, I found out that I was inside a cell and bound! _No. No. Not the rape. Not the rape again._ As I struggled to control myself from panicking, I saw that General Iroh was bound too, together with Bolin, and so were Mako and Anyu. And... _Where is Asami? Where is she-_

That was when I heard someone approaching the cell and started speaking to Asami. It was my uncle, Hiroshi Sato. Then, I realized that I was bound together with her. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Asami. Asami, I know I have hurt you, and I am sorry. But I believe that one day you will come to your senses, and we can be a family again".

"Are you insane? How can we be a family after everything you've done? Mom would hate you for what you've become". I heard Asami object.

Uncle replied furiously:"How dare you?! I am avenging her death!". Next, he turned to me. "And you. I am so disappointed in you, and Furroh. I thought you understood perfectly why I have to do this", he said, and he sounded sad all of a sudden.

And I was sad too. Because I couldn't hide it from him any longer. "Not when Sojana continuously molests and violates Furroh... and me".

Uncle's face immediately whitened. I heard gasps from my distant cousin and my new friends. "What? How... how- and when did that happen? Why didn't you tell me anything?", my uncle demanded.

"She threatened to kill me in front of Furroh, and vice versa, if either of us went to tell you".

Before Uncle could say anything, an Equalist grunt came and reported:"The airplanes are ready for takeoff, sir".

"Good". Uncle halted for a while, looking down at the floor, eyes closed, and rubbing the bridge of his nose. After that, he turned to the grunt and said simply:"Annihilate the fleet". That made us gasp audibly. "That's right, General", Uncle spoke to General Iroh, "I intercepted your message to Commander Bumi. I know exactly where they're hiding".

After that, Uncle turned to me once again. "I'm sorry for what happened to you and your brother. I promise, after all the heavy work, I and Amon will find Sojana and finish her and her master for good. Then, I'll make it up to you and Furroh". Then, Uncle turned to Asami. "And to you as well, Asami".

Following that, he turned around and intended to leave, yet my voice halted him. "No, Uncle, you don't understand! Sojana is not a normal woman. And her master is not even human! You have to stop this and join us. With the Avatar on our side, we may still have a chance to save our city, and the world, from total decimation!".

"I'm sorry, Simel, but I owe Amon one, and I will never forget Yasuko's death. All benders will pay".

With that, he walked away without looking back, making me feel so desperate. So desperate... and hopeless. _After all this, my new family will never be the same. I lost one, now I will lose the other forever._ With sobs, I told Asami:

"I'm sorry, Asami. I'm so sorry I helped him in his personal quest for revenge. And the outcome will be the destruction of our city and what it once stood for. I also wasn't there for you when Aunt Yasuko was killed. I have failed you, Asami. I've failed you".

"No, you haven't", Asami replied kindly, "you didn't want your uncle, my dad, to go on with his destructive way, same as me. You were with me back in the Refugee Camp and are here for me now more than my dad has ever been. You are the best cousin in the world".

"Y-you mean it?".

"Definitely, Simel". That was from Anyu, who was smiling warmly at me.

"Yeah, of course she means it!", Bolin added enthusiastically.

Mako nodded, and General Iroh said:"I didn't know much about your family, and have just had a little amount of insights, but judging from last night, I know Asami is speaking the truth. For "anyone can be my family if their heart has a burning passion for peace and love just like mine". That quote, needless to say, is from my grandfather".

And I was touched by everybody's compassion for me and Asami. "Thank you, everyone. Your words mean all the riches in this world to me".

Next, Bolin commented on what General Iroh had just said:"Wow, your grandfather is such a wise man".

"Thank you, Bolin".

"And talk about being wise, somebody remind me to waterwhip my boyfriend for touching that invisible electric fence without my consent, after we get out of here, naturally", Anyu said, mildly annoyed, which caused Bolin to laugh nervously.

After all the teary family drama, Asami wondered out loud:"So, how are we going to get out of here?".

General Iroh addressed Bolin:"I don't suppose you know how to metalbend?".

Bolin leaned back to General Iroh. "That is a negative, sir".

The general sighed. "Well, it was worth a try".

After sitting in silence for a while, and after hearing airplanes' iginitions turning on, we decided to discuss what to do next one more time. That was when Naga, with Pabu sitting on her back, tore down the door to come to rescue us! _Thank the Spirits!_

"Naga! Over here!", Bolin called out to the polar bear-dog. Pabu fleetly went into the cell and started chewing off the rope that was binding us, while Naga demolished the prison cell to free everybody. "Who needs a metalbender?". Bolin began to move around in excitement. "We got Naga, yeah!".

But, then, he yelped aloud when a waterwhip was lashed against his butt.

"Not so fast, boyfriend. Now come here", Anyu ordered Bolin.

Anxiously, the younger of the brothers approached the Northern Water Tribe gal, and she immediately grabbed him by the collar, pulling him towards... to kiss him. _Spirits, I wish Furroh was here._ Once they broke the kiss, Anyu spoke, grinning:"That was for your butt".

Right after that, we started running out to the airfield.

General Iroh announced:"I'm going after those airplanes!".

Mako followed Iroh. "I'm coming with you".

"Wait, didn't I say-". The General stopped.

"That was before we were captured, sir".

"Right".

Not wasting more time, the two of them ran after the biplanes.

Bolin screamed:"No, Naga!" as the polar bear-dog tossed him onto her, and then ran towards the runways.

As for the rest of us, who was trying to catch up with Anyu's boyfriend, when we approached a Machine-Tank warehouse, Asami talked to me:

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering?".

I grinned. "Yeah, but my version is a bit different from you. I and Furroh used to play platypus bear when we were kids. Now we'll play Machine-Tank platypus bears with my old comrades. Come on, Anyu!".

"You two have fun with those things, I prefer to stay out here, thank you".

"Well, suit yourself, Water Princess".

Once I and my cousin were inside two Machine-Tanks, we activated them, me excitedly radioing her:"What do you think, Cousin?".

One minute later, she responded:"What do you know? Just like a Future Industries forklift".

 _Now, time to have some fun with this base._

...

Mako's p.o.v.

Once we were close to the nearest aircraft, which was going to take off at any minute now, General Iron instructed me:

"You get on one of the plane's wings, I'll eliminate the pilot and take control of this flying machine".

"Yes sir!", I replied.

Next, we used firebending to fly ourselves to the plane, me over to the left wing, while General Iroh grabbed hold of the tail, coming to throw the Equalist pilot out of the cockpit. Right after that, I landed on the left wing, holding on to my dear life as the general struggled a bit on flying, but eventually got the hang of it.

 _No one from Commander Bumi's fleet will die today._

...

Republic City, the Pro-Bending Arena.

Azara's p.o.v.

"Tonight I rid the world of airbending, forever", Amon announced to the crowd.

"Amon, let them go!", Korra shouted at him.

"You're welcome to come down here and try to stop me", he taunted her again.

Before Korra could jump down, Furroh grasped her shoulder. "He's trying to bait you".

"I don't care! We have to save them", the Avatar replied desperately.

"The Avatar needs to be reminded of the power I possess", Amon spoke aloud again.

He, then, started walking towards Tenzin and the airbending children. However, I used my time manipulation to freeze him.

"You two go and get the airbenders. I'll stop the grunts".

Nodding in unison, Korra and Furroh left, the former approached the stage by wall running, using firebending, while the latter jumped off the balcony, utilizing his extended bola to prevent himself from falling down to the floor, also running towards the stage. I turned to the Equalists soldiers.

"Alright, who's first?". I smirked.

Of the seven Equalists, the nearest one on my right decided to attack me, then the one in the middle, then the one behind him, then the nearest one on my left. _Very well, then. Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, beat and ace it._ Performing according to the Konami Code, I evaded and avoided the enemies' strikes; after that, I turned around, roundhouse-kicking one in the head with my right leg, my right foot connecting to the back of his neck, him in the middle of turning towards me. Next, I used my right leg and foot to kick another in the throat, jumping to knee the next right at her chin, taking advantage of the momentum to make a 360-degree turn in order to backfist two more. Then, I quickly dodge-rolled some chi-blocking moves from the last two, putting my hands on the floor to lift my body sightly upwards so as to execute an equine kick to the first pursuing Equalist's chest, brutally flinging him against a wall; following this, I performed a Pelé Kick, aiming at the top of the last Equalist's head to stun her. And then, standing up, I delivered a powerful left-armed clothesline to finish her off.

When all was said and done, I turned to the stage and observed the action there, noticing that the crowd had already run out of the arena in fear. Korra and Furroh, now, were battling Equalist chi-blockers and a couple of... Warslaves! Realizing the gravity of their situation, I briskly transformed into my She-Rulk form and jumped forwards to where the young Avatar and Furroh were, half bicycle-kicking, half stomping on one of the normal cultists, uppercutting another, catapulting it away, backhanding three chi-blockers, moving to punch an explosive cultist near Korra in the stomach, grasping its hooked, right arm to prevent myself from getting hacked at, picking it up and throwing it off and far away from the stage, it landing and rolling on the floor, exploding violently at once once all of its pustules were ruptured.

Subsequently, I rushed towards Furroh, who was being threatened by two warrior crusaders, yelling "Furroh, duck!" to him, him promptly doing so, me Double Axe Hammering one so hard its head burst bloodily. Then, I turned to the other one, dodging its hand-blade, elbowing its in the face, it staggering backwards. Not wasting the opportunity, I came at it, grabbing its head and proceeded to rip the damn thing off from the body, swiftly hurling it at an Equalist who intended to shot an electric blast at Korra, knocking him either out cold or dead. After that, I urged the young Avatar:

"Get Tenzin and the kids, now!".

Korra nodded and went to free Tenzin while I and Furroh fought more Equalists and Warslaves, him releasing electric blasts at his old comrades without hesitation. Two minutes later, Tenzin joined us and airbent some of the remaining Equalists away. As for the abominations, I resolved to tear a big piece of cement from the stage floor and flung it at one, then I repeated the act to the others until Tenzin airbent Amon right off the stage.

"It's great to see you again, Tenzin". I turned to the Councilman.

"I would say the same if I knew who you are. That, and if you were not... you know". Tenzin coughed.

"Tenzin, it's Azara in her second form", Korra told her mentor.

"Oh".

That was when I sensed a presence of great evil re-entering the World of Benders. _Sojana._

"Alright, you guys hightail out of this place fast. I need to go meet someone", I addressed everyone.

"Who?". Furroh was confused.

"I believe you know, and hate, her". I looked at him, my tone turned serious.

He paled, then, he composed himself and said:"Alright then. People, we should go now".

I stood there and looked at them as they followed Korra, the young Avatar, while running, looking back at me briefly, me giving her a slight nod. When they were gone, I turned around and was headed back to the way I, Korra and Furroh had used to infiltrated the building. _Sojana, I promise you that this next violent encounter between us will be the last. You will be subdued._

...

Korra's p.o.v.

After I, Tenzin, Furroh and the kids and Azara went our separate ways, I led my followers to a hallway. There, I told Tenzin:

"Lead them out of here. We'll create a diversion".

Tenzin, next, addressed his children:"Let's go rescue your mother and the baby".

Meelo immediately spoke aloud hyperactively:"Prison break!".

Once the four of them left, I and Furroh made a run for it, hoping to push back Amon, who opened the door we all just went through some minutes before. Upon seeing him, I set the hallway on fire to deter Amon. However, soon enough, he would jump through the flames unharmed. I and Furroh decided to hide in a storage room, me staying under a table, trying to control my fear of being caught by my nemesis. As I saw Amon pass me, I took a little sigh of relief. Nevertheless, I was bloodbent out of my hiding instantly. _No!_ Furroh, when seeing me being captured, ran out of hiding and tried to save me.

"Let her go!", he shouted, firing blast after blast of electricity at Amon, the latter easily dodging all of the former Equalist teen's strikes.

After that, he was bloodbent. Not hesitating, Amon threw us down to the floor and brought me to my knees to prepare to take my bending away. _No. No. No!_

"No. Please, don't do it!", I begged my enemy. But my words fell on deal ears.

"Korra!", Furroh shouted my name while still down on the floor.

"You were an Equalist, Furroh". I heard Amon address Hiroshi's nephew. "Like it or not, the Avatar's defeat... will be a triumph to all nonbenders".

"You fool! By taking away her bending, you will condemn us all! Agrigula is going to utterly destroy this world when the Avatar can no longer fight!".

"Oh, believe me, Furroh, I have plans for him too. But not without equalizing the Avatar first".

With that, Amon's thumb descended on the center of my forehead, and I felt like my soul was being sucked away. I felt... weaker and weaker. I screamed out loud. _Saudorn, forgive me._ Once he finished, my nemesis dropped me to the floor.

"I told you I would destroy you".

I feel numb. I feel so numb. Why am I so numb? What... what is that sound in my head? A... song?

 _Nothing seems to faze me anymore!_

 _Indurate, senseless, dead soul to the core!_

 _This lift has left me cold, unfeeling!_

 _I find pity so unappealing!_

 _I'm callous, remorseless!_

 _Sympathy just seems so useless!_

 _Black-hearted and worthless!_

 _Desensitized and ruthless!_

 _Compassion - vacated!_

 _I'm so disassociated!_

 _I'm sick of what I've become!_

 _But this world has rendered me_

 _so fucking numb...!_

 _Dead body on the street!_

 _Won't give it a second glance!_

 _Famine, poverty, just victims of circumstance!_

 _So bored by all the killing and the thieving!_

 _I just don't have the time for the grieving!_

 _I'm callous, remorseless!_

 _Sympathy just seems so useless!_

 _Black-hearted and worthless!_

 _Desensitized and ruthless!_

 _Compassion - vacated!_

 _I'm so disassociated!_

 _I'm sick of what I've become!_

 _But this world has rendered me_

 _so fucking numb...!_

 _I don't care that I don't care!_

 _That I don't - feel a thing!_

 _That I don't give a shit - that I don't give a fuck!_

 _Not a single tear it brings!_

 _When oh so many horrors_

 _are lined up on parade!_

 _Chaos and dis-order_

 _are the tools of our trade!_

 _I'm fucking numb!_

 _There was a time when it all was shocking!_

 _Now I yawn when death comes knocking!_

 _I feel no sorrow that I feel this way!_

 _Now watch it all rots and wastes away!_

 _I'm callous, remorseless!_

 _Sympathy just seems so useless!_

 _Black-hearted and worthless!_

 _Desensitized and ruthless!_

 _Compassion - vacated!_

 _I'm so disassociated!_

 _I'm sick of what I've become!_

 _But this world has rendered me_

 _so fucking numb...!_

 _So fucking numb...!_

 _So fucking numb...!_

 _So fucking numb...!_

 _Saudorn, help me..._

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	36. Chapter 32

**Note: This chapter contains coarse language. I don't own the song Flesh and The Power It Holds by Death. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXXII - The Face of Evil**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Near Republic City, that afternoon.

Mako's p.o.v.

After quite a while, I, who'd dropped down and stayed among the steel beams supporting the plane's left wing, and General Iroh, or just General Iroh, caught up with eight Equalist airplanes flying towards Republic City. _This is it, to succeed or to fail._

"Mako, on my mark, we'll take out as many of the aircrafts as possible before they realize we're after them! Then, we may have to get closer on our own to finish the job, do you understand me?", the General loudly instructed me in order for me to hear what he said beside the roaring sound of the biplane's engine.

"Loud and clear, sir!", I called back to him.

"Alright! 1! 2! 3! Fire!".

Immediately, we lightningbent at two planes, and the one that got struck by General Iroh's lightning instantly crashed against the one next to it. _Nice! Five more to go!_

"That's spectacular, sir! We just took down three of them!", I complimented Iroh.

"It's not over yet, Mako! Now, they notice us!".

I looked at the airplanes and saw that they began... to split into two smaller groups, one heading upwards, one downwards! _Damn it, they decide to play hard to catch._

"Which of them are we gonna- Whoa!", I began.

"Hang on!", Iroh shouted, making the plane go up to pursue the first group, consisting of three flying machines, causing me to literally hang on.

Once we were at a fitting distance, the General ordered:

"Fire!".

However, before we were able to lightningbend, we saw a big bola rapidly hurled back at us, getting caught in the main propeller and stalling our second mean of transportation. Upon seeing that we were in trouble, Iroh said aloud:

"We have to abandon the plane! Get out!".

Fleetly, we jumped out of the aircraft, me looking up to see black smoke coming out from the engine near the propeller, and then the flying machine itself exploded. After falling for a while, we used firebending to get close to the second group. The moment we landed on top of one of the biplanes' wings, Iroh firebent at the other one's left propeller, effectively eliminating it! Next, we dropped down to the cockpit and threw the pilot out of there, the general assuming control of the thing right away, while I stood among the steel beams once more, but this time, I was closer to the cockpit than before.

Nonetheless, we heard a strange sound above us and saw a bomb dropped on the tail of our newly hijacked air vehicle! _You gotta be joking me._ The other three biplanes were directly high up.

"They're going to drop more bombs!", I warned General Iroh.

"Quickly, stop them!".

Without hesitating, we hurriedly and slightly panickedly firebent up to the three enemy aircrafts, one getting a direct hit ( the blast hit its about-to-descend bomb ), one getting one of its wings knocked off, and one getting cut down right at the engine near the main propeller. After that, we were on a crash course to Avatar Aang's statue, and we might be going for the face! Knowing what to do, General Iroh and I got out of the doomed flying machine right at the last second, grabbing hold of the huge Equalist flag attached to Aang's giant staff, as it tore apart. When I looked up to the statue's face, the enormous mask fell off and surprisigly left the statue undamaged.

"Thanks for looking for us, Aang", Iroh directed the statue.

And I swear the face seemed to smile. _All the spirits bless you, Avatar Aang._

...

The Equalist Airfield, at that same moment.

Anyu's p.o.v.

While fending off the Machine-Tanks that'd come to stop us, I saw Bolin still damaging the runways, as General Iroh had instructed him. Hastily dodging a big bola coming my way, I waterbent at one of the Machine-Tanks, turning the water into a big, long, sharp piece of ice at the last minute, and the thing got skewered clean through, slamming against another one behind it due to the impact and weight from the ice! Next, I created two water whips, developing their heads into scythe-like shapes, and thrust them into the third one's torso, aggressively ripping its upper half off, throwing it towards the last one of the group, successfully knocking it down. Then, I noticed more of them heading forwards to Bolin. Three of them tried to capture him with their hooked cables. Quickly, I warned him:

"Bolin, look out!".

However, before the cables could touch him, Naga came to his rescue! She grabbed the cables with her jaws and yanked backwards, causing them to fall down, face-first onto the ground. _Yes, eat dirt, you bastards!_ After that, I turned to the last three of the second group and yelled:

"No one takes my Bolin without my permission!".

Forming a great-sized water sphere, I proceeded to bend LOTS OF hardened ice-balls at them, slowly crippling them. Following that, I hurled a big sphere towards them, hitting them flying a short distance away! _That'll teach them._ When all was said and done, I approached Bolin and he said:

"Thanks for saving my butt, Anyu. I'm glad I have such an awesone girlfr-".

I didn't say anything. Instead, I answered him with the fiercest kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck, my tongue searching for his longingly. At first, he didn't do anything because of being surprised; then, he kissed back, just as passionately, him wrapping his arms around my waist. Once we broke the kiss, Bolin spoke softly, then excitedly:

"That was... that was... the nicest kiss you ever gave me, Anyu!".

"Oh, but that was not the nicest thing for you, sweetie. Wait 'til we're home". I smiled mischievously, and a bit evilly, at him.

 _There, I'll show you how nice I am._

That was when Naga decided to come close to us and gave us each a lick to the face.

"You're awesome too, Naga!". Bolin laughed while I moved to rub the polar bear-dog's head and neck with both of my hands.

...

Asami's p.o.v.

After destroying all of the Machine-Tanks in the airfield's storage building and warehouse, I and Simel moved on to the hangar to demolish every biplane in there. And in the middle of the ruinous process, we were interrupted by my father, in a Machine-Tank.

"Asami! Simel! What do you think you're doing? You are helping the very people who took your mother and aunt away!", he shouted.

"You don't feel love for Mom anymore. You're too filled with hatred", I replied.

Clearly infuriated, he growled:"You ungrateful, insolent child".

Before he could act, Simel moved her Machine-Tank in front of me.

"Back off, Uncle. If you harm Asami, I will have to hurt you, very badly", she stated with steel in her voice.

"I will teach you both not to meedle with things above your understanding!".

With that, I saw and heard my father and Simel come at each other, engaging in combat. I, then, witnessed an epic showdown between uncle and niece, one trying to achieve first hit upon the other, both of them taking turns blocking one another's moves. Nevertheless, it appeared my father subsequently had the upper hand thank to his knowledge and experience creating and operating the Machine-Tanks. Shortly after, he pummeled Simel's machine down and shattered its windshield with the tank's right hand.

Alarmed, I immediately shot two hooked cables forwards to prevent him from smashing my cousin to bits. Notwithstanding, my father's Machine-Tank's fleetly dodged my attacks. _Damn it, he's too skillful!_

"I now see there is no chance to save you two!", he spat with venom.

Right after that, we charged at each other, trying to score a damaging strike to stop the fight as quick as possible. Next, due to rage, he knocked my machine down and was about to deliver another blow when something hit him in the back.

"Mr. Sato, you are a horrible father!", someone, with a familiar voice, cried out loud.

 _Bolin?_

Once my father was distracted by his earthbending, and waterbending from Anyu, I guided my Machine-Tank standing back up. Following this, I directed Bolin and Anyu aloud:

"Bolin, Anyu, stop! This is between me and my father!".

Upon hearing my voice, they stopped. My father, then, turned to me. "Very brave, Asami. But I don't think that's wise", he announced.

"Yeah, Asami, I don't think going one on one with him is really a good idea either! Let's us help-", Bolin said aloud.

 _Ugh, can't he just do as I said and stay out of this?_

"No! You two stay right there! I must stop him on my own", I replied to Bolin and Anyu.

"Asami, you don't have to-".

"Enough, Bolin. Let's just stay here and make sure no one gets in or out". That was Anyu's voice.

 _Thank you._

"This is really touching", my father commented, "but it won't help you beat me".

"No, it won't", I conceded, "because I don't need help".

Then, without hesitating, I charged at him at full speed, aiming to give him a critical hit. Nonetheless, he briskly blocked my Machine-Tank's right hand with his left, only barely. Next, I moved to his left, intending to give his left side a good jab. Nonetheless, he pushed my right hand away to catch the left one. Next, he moved back a little, preparing to hit me either with his right hand or the hooked cable of his right hand. It was a hooked cable aiming at my head. Instantly, I shot a hooked cable to entangle it with his, forcefully pulling his towards me, ripping the end of the titanium cord straight off its socket, unhesitantly hitting the face of his Machine-Tank with my right forearm, smashing the windshield to pieces just like he'd done to Simel and me, the impact knocking him back a little. _That's payback number 1, Dad._

After that, we circled each other in order to recuperate and find one another's unguarded areas. Following that, with a loud growl emitting through the radio, my father came at me, putting his Machine-Tank's left shoulder out front, meaning to crash against me and catapult me away to deal serious damage to the machine. In a split second, I moved the tank out of his way, launching a hooked cable from my left hand to bind him, me planning to drag him face first onto the ground. Notwithstanding, I underestimated him, for he dodged it and aimed his left hand at me, and fired a bola, a big, acid-spraying bola forwards to me! _No, that's cheating!_ Once the bola wrapped around my tank, the acid from it began to eat through the whole thing, prompting me to hit 'eject' button before it was too late, the hatch opening up and the seat sent me out of the Machine-Tank. Unfortunately, it sent me straight ahead, forwards to my father, not away from him. _Damn it, this is bad!_

"Did you say you don't need help? Hmm... I bet you're regretting your erroneous decision alrea-", my father started gloating.

That was when another Machine-Tank, out of nowhere, collided with his, flinging him away from me.

"She said she didn't want help, but I'd help her anyway", Simel spoke with a hint of delight in her voice. "Now you stay down, Uncle. It's over".

"Simel!", I yelped happily, "you're okay!".

"Of course I am, sweet cousin! You think I'd be taken out that easily- I said stay down!".

I immediately turned to look at my father's machine, seeing him standing up, about to retaliate. Nevertheless, my cousin discharged a big bola at him, effectively immobilizing him. Following this, she called my friends:

"Anyu, Bolin, now!".

And then, she moved aside so as to let them bend a huge rock coated by water in the direction of our 'foe', totally knocking the tank down! _Payback number 2 to you, Dad._ Consequently, we all approached our 'fallen enemy', with Simel being the closest, her tearing open the machine. Then, silence. Shortly after that, my father, all of a sudden, tried to counter and exited his broken invention, fleeing. And I was unexpectedly sad, very sad.

"You really are a horrible father". I was in tear.

Next, I charged my Equalist glove for a medium-leveled electric blast and dispatched him, him falling down on the ground, unconscious. Moments later, I heard Simel get out of 'her' Machine-Tank, me still looking at my knocked-out father, feeling someone putting their hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned around to embrace my cousin, letting tears flow freely down my cheeks.

...

Republic City, inside the Pro-Bending Arena's storage room.

Furroh's p.o.v.

I was horrified. The dying, waning Equalist part in me should be happy; but all I saw and felt was just... horror. _He... he did it. He... 'equalized' her._ I just kept staring at the defeated Korra. All my life, I hated benders, and bending, more than anything; I even hated the Avatar. But this... this was insanity! _Saudorn is dead. Korra's bending is taken away. How in damnation is everyone supposed to stop Agrigula now? This is hopeless._

"Finally, you are powerless", Amon said.

After a while of struggling to her hands and knees, the young Avatar miserably crawled towards Amon, subconsciously trying to bend at him in vain. That was when I heard Liao Zu's voice. _Liao Zu? What is he doing here?_

"Amon, everything the Avatar said is true, isn't it?", he confronted his 'leader', "I just saw you bloodbend her!". I, then, heard something drop on the floor and got smashed.

"Liao Zu...", I croaked, "run... Get... out of here!".

I heard a gasp. "You bloodbend him too? He is just a kid!".

"Liao Zu... Please...".

"You - barbarous traitor! I and everyone else dedicated our life to you!".

 _I closed my eyes. No..._

Another gasp. And it caused me to open my eyes again to see Amon bloodbend his 'Lieutenant' too.

"You've served me well, Lieutenant".

After that, I heard several chilling sounds of cracked bones. The instant those sounds went through my eardrums, travelling to my brain, my heart entirely went cold. My world, my whole world, once again, went upside-down. Liao Zu was not my father, but he was friend to my uncle; therefore, he was my friend. He was my sister's friend. Then, the sound of Liao Zu's body crashing against a bunch of wooden planks awoke something inside me. A raging beast. I fought to fiddle with my gloves, my face muscles twitched in outrage. Next, I saw Amon walk towards me, bloodbending me kneeling upright.

"I'm sorry, Furroh, but you know that this is nothing personal", the monster spoke.

I grunted in pain, slowly looking up at him, and said:"But I'm not. For... Doing... This!".

With that, I shot two blasts of electric balls at him, propelling him against the far, opposite wall. Ignoring the pain, I stood up and blindly fired volley after volley of electric blasts, shouting obscenities at the deceiver, forwards to the spot he fell down to once he'd collided with the wall, making planks and long tables to collapse onto him. When I calmed down a little, I looked a bit to the right, seeing Korra slightly get up on her knees again. Not hesitating, I approached her and got her on my back, hurriedly carrying her out of the storage room, feeling her crystal necklace-

 _The necklace! Azara said that the crystal "functions like a talisman", and that it'll come to her help in her "darkest moment". Losing her bending is totally her darkest moment! Then... why didn't it help her? Why nothing happened at all? Did Azara make a mistake, or did she have an ulterior motive for this? Damn you, Azara. And damn you, Sojana, for making Azara go away to face you! If she was here... If only she was here._

\- pressing against my back, also the eight-pointed star as well, and the other... things. While I was running along a hallway, I heard Korra mutter:

"Furroh, my bending...".

"Everything'll be all right. We just need to get out of here!", I reassured her.

And then, I couldn't move, letting Korra fall down on the floor, rolling away. _The son of a bitch, how did he-_ I was instantly slammed against the ceiling, then the floor. Next, the despicable fuckin' bastard 'prompted' me to stand up, and bloodbent me against a wall on my left, and then my right, me dropping down like a fell tree.

"I'm impressed", he spoke, "No one has ever gotten the better of me like that. You are truly your uncle's nephew, aren't you?".

Shortly later, he forced me to kneel upright just like he'd done before, my head was slowly being twisted.

"It is almost a shame to take away a life from someone so tenacious. Almost". I heard his voice from behind me.

 _It- it cannot end... like this. Mom, Dad. Sis. I've failed you so many times before; now I fail you again. I'm sorry._

Before my life was ended, I tried to looke at Saudorn's girlfriend. "Korra, I'm... so sorry. Tell Simel I love her".

The Avatar was filled with horror. Fleetly, she stood up, shouting "NO!", attempting to bend. At that second, the necklace inside her Equalist uniform shone brightly, a green-and-blue halo piercing through the fabric of the costume, almost blinding me. _Then... I and Amon were knocked away by... air? She can... she can airbend?_

"I-I can airbend?". Korra was surprised at the turn of the event. "I can airbend!", she shouted joyously.

Right away, she blasted gust after gust of air towards Amon, blowing him further and further forwards to a window at the end of the hall! Without indecision, Amon tried to bloodbend Korra again. I speedily stood up to attempt to help her, yet my legs gave way because of me being assaulted by Amon's bloodbending earlier. Nonetheless, the young Avatar somehow resisted and gave him one final blow, saying "No... you... don't!" out loud, hurling him straight through the window! _Yeah! Serve you right, motherfucker!_

...

Republic City, outside the Arena, that same moment.

Amon's p.o.v.

 _How is it possible? I equalized her! I know I equalized her! Her bending was... gone. How could she possibly airbend at me?_

The slightly cold water pulled me away from my thoughts, pushing me back to reality. A cruel reality. _No. The mask- the paint! The paint!_ Panickedly, I subconsciously bent myself out of the water, using a water spout. After coughing for a little while, I realized that the gravity of my defeat began to sink in. The people were shocked upon seeing me... as a waterbender.

"He's waterbending?".

"He is a bender!".

"The scar's fake".

"The Avatar was telling the truth!".

Upon hearing the word "Avatar", I turned my head towards where I was catapulted out of, and I saw her standing there, intensely looking at me. After glaring angrily at her, I had no choice but to escape, plunging myself deep into the water and waterbent away. However, I stopped bending when I saw a dark, gigantic shape ahead. _What in Spirits' name is that?_ Before I could hightail out of there, like lightning, tendrils darted at me, wrapping around me tightly. After that, I was lifted upwards towards the water surface, moving past that, higher and higher in the air. When my vision was clear, I saw that I was captured by a brownish, humongous, horrid-shaped monstrosity. But what was more terrifying was the the fact that Agrigula was standing on top of the creature's supposed head ( it looked like it had no head ). Deliberately, the tendrils guided me towards him.

"You've failed, Amon. You have failed miserably and pathetically. How sad. I guess it's up to me to bring down the Avatar and this whole city along with her, now that her boyfriend is DEAD", the Lord-Patriarch of the Legion of War addressed me.

"He's... dead?" was all I could utter.

"Killed by my own sword, my friend". He laughed. "It turned out that I didn't need you after all. However, because you've been cooperating so nicely with me, I think you deserve to see my true form and witness my ascent to absolute sovereignty". Following that, he called out to the citizens of Republic City:"Humans, it's time for you to open your eyes and perceive the force that is going to rule this pathetic and weak plane of a reality! No more lies! No more charade! Behold! The flesh! And the power! It holds!".

And there was music, at full blast, played on my Equalist airships a short distance away from the huge monster. At that same moment, Agrigula's form started changing, getting bigger and bigger, beginning to fuse with his 'pet', its tendrils slowly getting absorbed into the extremely mountainous and monstrous mass of flesh and tissues, me heading to my own doom, screaming out loud in mad horror and terror.

I told you once!

But I'll say it again!

When you live the flesh!

It's the beginning of the end!

It will take you in!

And it - will spit you out!

Behold - the flesh!

And the po-wer it holds!

Passion is a poison laced with pleasure bitter sweet!

One of many faces that - hide deep beneath!

It will take you in!

And it - will spit you out!

Behold - the flesh!

And the po-wer it - holds!

Touch!

Taste!

Breathe!

Consumed!

Deja-vu!

Already knew

from the first encounter!

But now I know

to let go

of words to speak no more!

Like a wind

upon your face!

You can't see it but you know it's there!

When beauty shows

its ugly face.

Just be prepared!

Passion burns

like fire carried by the wind!

The end of a time!

A time to begin!

It will take you in!

And it - will spit you out!

Behold - the flesh!

And the po-wer it holds!

It builds you up

one way and tears you right back down!

A time to begin!

The end of a time!

It will take you in!

And it - will spit you out!

Behold - the flesh!

And the po-wer it - holds!

Touch!

Taste!

Breathe!

Consumed!

Deja-vu!

Already knew

from the first encounter!

But now I know

to let go

of words to speak no more!

Like a wind

upon your face!

You can't see it but you know it's there!

When beauty shows

its ugly face.

Just be prepared!

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	37. Chapter 33

**Note: This chapter contains super coarse language and nightmarish and eldritch details of Things-You-Shouldn't-Let-Your-Mind-Wander-To. I don't own the songs Blasphemer by Sodom and Apocalyptic City by Testament. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXXIII - Apocalyptic City**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Inside Uughigula ( Uughot + Agrigula )

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Nothingness, a thing so familiar, yet so alien at the same time. Familiar, because I'd been surrounded by this eternal blackness before; alien, because I knew I'd made it within Agrigula's body. Azara's plan worked. Though the sensation of death was a horrible thing to feel, and when I'd woken up, before I re-connected to my clone, I managed to ask Esillith if this was what Voldemort felt each time Harry Potter and his friend destroyed one of his Hocruxes. The answer was that it was not as bad as Voldemort's case, for I was telepathically and empathetically linked to my clone. And You-Know-Who? Each Hocrux was a part of his soul, his existence, so... let's just imagine how it feels when a part of your existence dies. You go ahead and imagine it whichever way you want, but I know that it's horrendously NOT pleasant.

Anyway, nothingness was me, and I was nothingness; and then, I, or my clone, that is, manifested to my existence as a whole, again; and I saw and traveled through weird crap all around me. It was like... I was on an alien planet. There were caves, deltas, valleys, hills, mountains and sky of super hideous flesh, and streams, pools, rivers, lakes, and oceans of acid, bizarre liquids, monster juices and who knows what else. Oh, and did I tell you that there were also huge, dark chasms with throbbing and pulsing edges, titanous walls of tissues that ground, grumbled, groaned and ululated, completely pitch-black areas that not even the light from the flames I created could penetrate, spaces unnaturally bright and filled with tendrils and vine-ike appendages, places of odd-colored and intimidating fungus-like 'trees', ball-shape objects glued to all surfaces, gland-like plants, flesh openings, and things seemed like digestive, hammering mounds, spiky egg-sacks and intestines-like tunnels that breathed, pulsated, pumped and surged, radiating heat, emitting cold, letting out poisonous vapors and secreting venomous fluids? No? Well, I just - did. And, oh Goodness, the smell... The smell was bad; like, really really, holy shit, Cthulhu-having-terrible-Diarrhea-from-eating-hippies-and-one-week-dead-skunks bad! Also there were A LOT OF strange, fucked-up creatures that acted like the giant organism's defen- Oh, forget it, I see that Chad over there is going to vomit already.

You don't have to ask me how frightened I was. I was scared existenceless! You know, like I just didn't want to exist right there, and right at that moment? Yeah, that's how I felt. I just wanted to quit, I just wanted to dissolve my clone away and never saw that abominable hell ever again. But there was a plan, there was hope and responsibility placed on my shoulders, and there was Korra... Therefore, I had to push on, I had to ignore my crawling fear and get to that place. The heart ( hearts, in this case ), the center. I didn't know where it was. I didn't know what they looked like. I just kept pressing on and on and on and on, until I heard the sounds of heartbeat. So peculiar and so otherworldly, yet fairly easy to recognize. Once I got there, into a great, very great, 'chamber' of living substances, I saw them, the hearts. Palpitating and undulating nightmare-and-horror-shaped organs in the dim, eerie and phosphoric light, covered by eternal, despair-inducing darkness of gargantuan Tartarus. Suddenly I heard another sound that drowned out the heartbeats, making the hairs on my arms stand up, cold chill running down my spine. _Is that... music? And is that... the intro of Sodom's Blasphemer?_ Then, I heard a loud, sinister laughter, exactly the same as the tone of Tom Angelripper's laugh in the intro, with some dismal and abhorrent quality to it. _Agrigula._

"Isn't it magnificent? The Uughot. It is one of the All-Lord's awesome creations, and it holds a kind of power you can never comprehend! Also, I knew you would show up, sooner than later, Father", Agrigula's voice addressed me amusedly, "how can I forget this as-old-as-Earth ruse, getting yourself 'killed' in order to enter my body so as to slaughter me from the inside? It sounds like... what my old buddy, John Landers, did, and succeeded. At your whim, of course". His tone, all of a sudden, turned deadly.

"Then you know I will succeed too, Agrigula", steadying my nerves, I countered, "You will die. And this time, for good".

There was a chuckle. "Hmm... I don't think so, Father. For you must, first, overcome... _him_ ".

That was when there was light; not really bright light, but light nonetheless. And the light was from the first of the hearts. After that, I heard a noisy series of moderate moans, human moans from... inside the pulsing thing? Next, the moans became louder and louder; and then, the right half of Amon, all disfigured save for his face, emerged, him still moaning painfully and somewhat... mindlessly? _Bloody gory motherfuckin' hell._

"Amon?" was all I could utter.

...

Republic City, a good distance away from the Pro-Bending Arena.

Azara's p.o.v.

Once I'd gotten out of the Arena, I sent a message to my father, telling him to prepare a warfleet to be headed to the World of Benders as soon as there was one to spare; then, I was headed towards the tramstop some distance away from the great building. Next, I telepathically sent another message to Lieutenant Yunpei, telling him to cease the Special Force's search-and-rescue mission, warning the nonbenders to go into hiding as soon as possible and to move back to my possition in order to meet with the Legion of War reinforcement, no doubt led by Sojana, who would certainly advance forwards to where the Avatar ( and Furroh ) was.

The moment most of the Special Force finished falling in line behind me, was also the instant our enemies arrived. At their front, was Sojana riding on a... _Is that- is that a Corpses Behemoth, accompanied by two others? Did she really go against the Conquest Campaign and brought them here? A-and how can they move? Corpses Behemoths are known to barely move! Their sole purpose is to be nothing but abominable, living toxic blood-turrets! Damn it, this must be one of Zulathulhu's foul works again. I hate it when he interferes with the order of things. Blasphemous bastard._ Upon realizing what Sojana's mount was, I ignored everybody's shocked murmurs, seeing for the first time their true and darkest enemies, and immediately ordered them:

"Earthbenders, raise defensive mounds, now!".

Without hesitating, Lieutenant Yunpei raised one earthen mound in front of me, prompting other earthbenders to raise similar ones next to Yunpei's and some behind me, sparing spaces inbetween following my instructions. Then, I ordered the metalbenders and firebenders:

"Metalbenders, when it comes to melee, be ready; firebenders, and earthbenders again, when the enemies begin to attack, aim for the huge ones ( explosive cultists and Flamethrowers ) and give them your best, especially the explosive miscreants. Yeah, those with big, fat yellow pustules; there. I want you to eliminate as many as possible. None is to survive, do you understand?".

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!", the firebenders replied.

"Good. And when the Flamethrowers, the ones with mightily weird right arm; there, there, and there; discharge fires, I want you to use your firebending to redirect them and send them back to the monsters. Use your eyes, perform harmonically; this is not all about hitting targets. Get it?".

"We get you, ma'am!".

"Uh, ma'am, but what if we can't handle all the fires? I meant, there are so many of them", one of the firebenders spoke worriedly.

"That's when waterbenders come in. Waterbenders, your job is to use water and ice to douse the aggressive flames when no one else can manage them. If, and when I see fit, you are allowed to take the offensive; until then, you are just supporting rearguards. Is that clear?".

"Yes, ma'am!".

"Very well, then. Now we wait".

Following that, I looked at Sojana while the troops assumed defensive positions. You are not going to meet with Agrigula, Sazis ( a derogatory term for female Valcrees, a race of swamp-dwellers on Zassaro Prime, in the 45th reality. When used on outsiders, it means they either have a very hideous appearance or a very despicable personality, or both ). _I'm here to take you into custody now and forever._ When Sojana and her mount stopped about twenty meters away from me and my allies, she examined her opposing force, her eyes focusing on me the moment she sighted me. Grinning maliciously, she spoke aloud:

"So, this is the puny, ragtag army of my sworn enemy. It's even more pathetic than the last. Seriously, Azara, did you think these... bending humans will make a difference? They are no miserably weaker than these cheap snacks the Warslaves brought along like movie-goers did to popcorn".

Next, one of the Warrior Crusaders tossed a badly eaten corpse of a male civilian in our direction, hitting one of the mounds very hard, the impact making the cadaver splattering all over its surface with a sick, nasty thud. In the end, the poor human was nothing but a pulp of crimson flesh. The Special Force gasped out loud upon seeing such cruel treatment, some struggling hard to not vomit all over the ground. Gritting my teeth, I tried to not give in to anger, breaking out of formation and whooping that bitch's ass right then and there. These humans needed me, and I wouldn't jeopardize everything just because Sojana had attempted to rile me up. Instead, I said:

"You want to meet up with your master, Sojana? Dare to re-enact the glorious Hot Gates? We will fuckin' annihilate you!".

My second archenemy, then, laughed aloud. "Don't mind if I do! Warslaves, you get me fake Queen Gorgo, alive, and I'll let you play with her after I have enough of the cunt and discard her like a rag doll! Oh, and believe me, she has read about Vault 68, and she _loves_ some gentleman touches. About the others, your food, you decide".

Following that, the Warslaves howled and roared with delight and excitement, beginning to rush towards us like a massive pack of hungry Helldogs. I turned to Yunpei and nodded, him nodding back, bringing up his right hand to signal for the earthbenders and firebenders to prepare to bend. Everyone was totally silent, collectively staring at the oncoming horde of monstrosities ahead, patiently waiting for Yunpei to allow them to strike, to crush the enemies with their military discipline, long-term experiences and prowessed training.

"Ready!", Yunpei cried out.

The monstrous foes were approximately sixteen meters away now.

"Steady!".

Fifteen.

Fourteen.

Thirteen.

Twelve-

"Now!", I shouted.

"FIRE!".

The earthbenders and firebenders started letting loose barrage after barrage of big, round and big, sharp rocks and fireblasts and a lot of lightning strikes against the charging wave of horrors, crushing and impaling and cutting and burning and making them blow up, bits and pieces of flesh and blood spattering and splashing everywhere. Once in range, the Flamethrowers began to discharge fires at us, causing many of the firebenders to use their firebending to guide the flames back towards the enemies, scorching them to charred remains. Nonetheless, the infernal horde kept advancing, caring not about their fallen comrades, mindlessly and aggressively stepping on the dispatched and dying ones so as to get closer and closer to us.

 _Damnation, there are truly so many of them! I guess it's time I lend my allies some help._ Quickly, I utilized my time manipulation to freeze a great portion of the approaching things; next, I ordered the earthbenders and firebenders to bend forcefully, decimating more and more of Sojana's army. A while later, I heard my archnemesis announce:

"Quite feisty and defiant, aren't you? Not that it's gonna help you one bit". After that, her grin widened. "Wanna fight in the shade?".

 _Shit, she decides to use them!_ Alarmed, I addressed my allies upon knowing what Sojana had implied:"Everyone, fast, stay behind the mounds! Waterbenders, ice dome this instant!".

Immediately, the Special Force took cover behind the mounds, while the waterbending United Forces members created a giant ice dome to protect the ones who were unable to get in the mounds' ranges. A second later, vomited, toxic blood splattered all across the defensive mounds, some bespattering on a few of the United Forces soldiers and metalbending cops, burning ( like acid ) and blinding the former ( the latter had body-covered armors, so very few of them got hurt ) and onto the ice dome, with quite an amount melting several iced parts, dropping down and hurting a medium number of waterbenders.

It hurt me to see them like that. I wish I could do anything for them. Notwithstanding, the Corpses Behemoths were 'formed' by the Firstborn's magic, and I was way past my Prime; therefore, I couldn't even freeze or send the blood back to those huge, horrid shapes, and could only listen to the piercing, painful screams and moans of my allies. I shook my head when Yunpei urged me to do something, _anything_. _I'm sorry, my friend. I... just... I didn't even expect magic-provided creatures- no, Corpses Behemoths to show up here._ ( according to the intel we got when I and Saudorn had gone to his first ever meeting with Esillith and other beings, Zulathulhu ordered many, and I mean MANY, Corpses Behemoths, among other beasts and beings fused with magic by the Firstborn, for the conquest of Skyrim, the Witcher, Battleborn and Half-Life universe. Thus, we were assured that no individual with magic, including Bishop Maltheus St. Claire, from Clive Barker's Jericho universe would be brought to the World of Benders. But when I saw the Behemoths, I realized that we were wrong )

Once the bloody rain ceased, I looked back and saw that the Special Force was nearly in disarray. Fleetly, I turned my attention to the front, seeing that the Warslaves continued to press forwards. _I don't have a choice, I need to make Yunpei the commanding figure of the Special Force again._ Then, having decided what to do, I instructed Yunpei:

"I am going for Sojana. I will make her focus her attention on me. Meanwhile, you're in charge of the Special Force. Do NOT let them breach this pass. And about the wounded, I promise I will get them treated as soon as my reinforcement comes. You have my word. Do you think you can handle this?".

"Not really a King Bumi-ish task, so I think I can do that, ma'am". Yunpei nodded affirmatively.

I smiled. "Very good".

After that, I let Yunpei return order and discipline back to the Special Force, while turning into my She-Rulk form and jumped over the mound before me, heading straight to Sojana. _Time to put an end to your course of action._

...

Over Yue Bay, a bit earlier.

General Iroh's p.o.v.

When I and Mako had gotten down to the the base of Aang's statue, we noticed that the rest of the Equalist airships from Air Temple Island were headed towards the Pro-Bending Arena; and knowing that Korra and Furroh were there, certainly battling with Amon and his Equalist forces, we resolved to get on the leading airship to take it down together with the other ones. Using our firebending, we flew forwards to the group of fast-approaching air vehicles, me instructing Mako:

"Now, to be able to avoid detection, we need to fly underneath the airships. Once we're near the leading one, we must move fast and get inside it, and then destroy it. Plain and simple".

"And what if they fight back hard?", Mako asked.

"Then we show them not to trifle with two firebenders". I smiled. "Let's go".

Speeding up, we closed in on the air transportations. The moment we were directly beneath the chief airship, I gave Mako the go-ahead, and both of us forced our way through two of the gondola's glass windows, taking out two of the Equalists. And then we saw that there were also about... a dozen of monstrosities, and there were some kind of monstrous growths on the spacious gondola's walls and ceiling as well! _Agni, what are these things?_ Without hesitating, the small-numbered Equalists came at us, intending to subdue us, but we wouldn't let them do that. As fast as we were able to, I and Mako firebent all around us, aiming to ruin all the controls in the gondola, thinking that the instant the airship lost control, it'd come crashing down upon the water of Yue Bay. However, astonishingly, the growths suddenly sucked the flames into them after the Equalists were struck unconscious!

Shocked, I and Mako couldn't believe our eyes. Following that, we quickly got back to our fighting stances, preparing to face the human-shaped abominations. That was when we heard the sounds of slow clapping behind the horrors, them gradually parting, revealing a tall, thin man, in his early thirties, who was wearing either a black cloak or tunic, with a black hood over his head, a pair of black gloves and a pair of black boots, approaching us. As he stopped clapping, he said:

"Look what we have here, boys, it's the former famed Fire Ferret team captain, Mako, and the prominent General Iroh the Second himself". The monsters growled quite eagerly. "Welcome aboard the Atmosfear. What can I do for you? Oh, and by the way, nice firebending, but I don't think it'll matter much. The Corruption, which has been modified, loves consuming...". He halted. "Water. Earth. Fire. And Air. Your bending is useless". His voice became mocking now.

"So you must be one of Agrigula's cronies. You have to know where Sojana is", Mako spoke.

"As a matter of fact, I do, but I won't tell ya. Furthermore, she's, uh, busy right now anyway. How about I entertain you instead, huh?". He grinned. "Take these, you'll need them". He tossed what looked like two metal hilts towards us.

While we eyed them suspiciously, them slowly rolling towards us, then completely stopped just a step away from us, on the floor, he chuckled. "Ah, don't you worry, it's not a trap. Your Uncle Hank, or Manoward, is fair and generous, he just wants a nice, dueling showdown is all".

I and Mako looked at each other, puzzled.

"Well, come on, pick them up! We don't have much time 'til my Lord-Patriarch greets your Avatar friend. Because when he does... I need to play some music to get him in the mood... to eat; and it'll be really distracting by then, reall-".

Not letting Manoward finish his sentence, Mako briskly scooped up the hilt at his feet, and upon getting contacted, there was a flash of light and heat, a lightning 'blade' appeared, running towards our enemy, attempting to strike him down, ignoring my warning of not attacking him then. Fleetly, Manoward drew out a hilt of his own, next, from the opening, a sharp, big, bone-like scythe-saber emerged, with horrifically abominable, throbbing streaks of flesh and a couple of repugnantly strange, big-and-small, cyst-like biological structures attached to it, him using it to block Mako's slash. Concerned for the young man's life, I grabbed 'my' hilt, quickly seeing a black blade covered with flames, with small depictions of the Dragon Dance's positions on the surface of the metal-like skewer ( _how is it possible? This bizarre sword clearly is not made by the Fire Nation. Yet, there are Dragon Dance carvings on it! Is this secretly made by Grandpa? If so, why did he make it in secret? How did Manoward come to possess it? If not, then what is this thing?_ ), and feeling its intense heat in front of my face, me rushing forwards, grasping Mako's shirt by the shoulder and pulling him back, my saber clashing with Manoward's, creating a fairly bright spark as the two sharp objects met one another.

Right after, we focused our weights against each other, intending to push one out of balance in order to deal a critical hit. To tell you the truth, I had an excellent figure thank to years of practicing military discipline; however, my opponent's strength was incredible! One minute after the sabers clashing against one another, I was in a losing effort just to keep myself from being pushed away. Then, Mako joined the struggle, adding his own weight to liberate me from excessing all my energy. Bold to the risky. _My gratitude, Mako._

"Amazing, isn't it?", Manoward spoke, "these are called Mnavetharn Jrydiith - Manifesting Heritage sabers, made by a really really ancient race of energy manipulators. Once someone touches the hilt, the energy it emits will take on the form of either their cultural heritage, purity of beliefs, manifesting persona, or only concentrated imagination, the latter being introduced by said race's corrupt individuals. That being said, the ones you are holding now were only mildly corrupted, the more you hold on to them, the more you will be drained of your lifeforce". Upon hearing that, we froze. "But don't be worried, there is a way to get rid of them: You have to use your minds to trick them into sensing that they have fed enough, then, they'll let go... before you are completely void of life, that is". He laughed.

Next, Manoward became more gleeful, deciding to utilize more of his insane brawn, taking advantage of us taking in all the information he'd just given us, slowly gaining on us. Consequently, he shoved us away, managing to give Mako and me, each a pretty deep nick on the arm and cheek respectively. Shortly after, he extended his left arm, palm forwards, and all of a suddenly, we couldn't move! And then, we were flung against the end wall of the gondola, our backs feeling sticky upon contacting the disgusting growths.

Standing up pretty difficulty because of the impact we felt when our backs had touched the infested wall, and because of our hands being 'glued' to the sabers, Mako began to panic. "I'm feeling... something inside me is being sucked into the saber! What am I to do?".

"Stay calm, Mako", I advised him, trying to suppress the sensation of stinging pain caused by the nick on my cheek, "you heard what Manoward said, we must use our minds to mislead them, make them notice that they've had enough of our lifeforce. You stay here and center on that, while I try to defeat him. If you can't do it, at least make use of the saber and knock down the controls. That way, you won't die in vain".

Mako swallowed. "I'll try. But what... about you? You can't do two things at once!".

"Try hard, do harder. And who said I can't? My Grandfather survived alone for a long while when he was an exiled teen, without his uncle's help, and I have no intention of disgracing his blood in me", I replied before dashing straight ahead to face our enemy again.

"Oh, very noble of you, General Iroh. Do all the works and give the youth a break, eh? But it won't work. After finishing you off, he's next".

I clashed sabers with him once again. "Don't be so sure of yourself. As long as I still breathe, you are NOT to kill anyone!".

And for the following ten minutes, I and Manoward dueled intensely and aggressively, me applying fast maneuvers instead of taking on him directly, knowing he was much stronger than I was, recalling what my grandfather had taught me about sword fighting. _Keep in mind, Iroh, dual swords, or singular one, are two in one and one in two. With dual swords, two halves, are of a single weapon. They are not separate. They're just two different parts of the same whole. And with one sword, the weapon is the other half of the swordsmaster. Don't think of it as just a tool for fighting, or for war; it is more than that. A single sword is how you express yourself, make your statement loud and clear._

 _For example, point it at a bully before you fight, "Let them go!"; or point it at their face after you defeat them, "Don't. Make. The same mistake. Ever again. I'll know". A sword is a part of you, and when your opponents see you with a sword, they don't see just a swordsmaster with a weapon, they see a confident and determined swordsmaster, one they should NOT trifle with, like one peaceful firebender who fights for order they should NOT... trifle with. Swordskills are important, yes, but if you don't grasp the true nature of a swordsmaster, you are but a man with a simple stick, pretending to hold a sword._

With the knowledge my grandfather had passed on to me, I dodged and strike, slashing and clashing and dancing, 'my' saber and I were one, the blade fiercely against my adversary's, me also concentrating on the mind ruse to make the strange thing let go, starting to infuriate Manoward greatly. Just when I thought I had the upper hand, forgetting entirely that my foe possessed some kind of a fearsome power, I was abruptly choked by an unseen force! _He's using his trickery again!_ And before I knew it, the invisible, external pressure tightened its grip.

"I don't know what you did to outmaneuver me, for a short time anyway, but this is the end of you, General Iroh. Say hi to the other Iroh for me". Manoward growled, then smiled sadistically.

And then, there was an extremely loud, horrific and unearthly bellow from outside the airship. The grip on my neck, then, loosened a little bit, enabling me to take in precious air. _In Spirits' names, what was that noise?_

"Ah, there he is". Manoward's voice sounded half pleased, half irritated. "Time to kick the fun up a notch. Music, my boys, blast it!", he turned to order his abominable minions.

Loud and harsh music was blared forthwith, and I was taken aback by how similar it was compared to some of the songs Saudorn had played back in the Refugee Camp. Of course, I knew who Agrigula and some others were, through the young man's retold memories, but I had never realized how closely they all linked to each other until that very moment. They had the same taste, sometimes same demeanors and behaviors, yet they were so different from one another when it came to their purposes and desires. _Is that what it is when something one created comes to life and hates them for it?_ But whatever the answer was, I needed to defeat Manoward, I needed to get myself and Mako out of this situation, and then demolished all the Equalist airships.

...

Inside Uughigula

Saudorn's p.o.v.

 _The poor fool. This is not exactly what I thought would happen to him, but it's a horrid fate nonetheless._

Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, I got into my fighting stance, then I spoke calmly:"Bring it on".

"As you wish". Agrigula's voice was mocking again. After that, he sang:

"Black metal is the game I play!

'cause no one shows me the right way!".

Amon, or the thing that once was Amon, howled with pain, and then he began to spurt forth a beam-like streams of either eldritch blood or hideous fluids, or whatever, from his mouth and... a big hole in his chest! And it smelled ultra awful! So, not wanting to find out what'd happen if I were hit by the forcefully gushing-out liquid, I dodge rolled out of the way. Next, I kept on dodge rolling as the Amon-Heart kept spewing after me; once the thing stopped what it was doing, I formed a big javelin, aiming and throwing it at the heart, the long spear going straight through it, almost hitting Amon in the shoulder, causing him to scream out loud in agony and Agrigula yelping aloud in irritating pain. _Huh, so Amon feels what Agrigula feels then. That's the price of being merged with an abomination._

"Very nice aim. But that was NOT enough. For...

I am a bloody Antichrist, only believe in bad!

Spit at the church, Evil I get!", Agrigula growled, grunting, making the heart... consume the javelin!

Amon-Heart attacked me again, using the first same trick. However, it directed the streams faster this time, prompting me to double my speed, or I'd get it. Also, this time, the streams seemed to be prolonging; therefore, I decided to act quick and created a microorganism ball of sensitive chemicals, throwing it forwards to the heart's right, exploding upon contacting it, blowing most of Amon's exposed parts and a portion of the heart to bits. More painful screams. _At least he goes to meet his brother in the other side now._ Notwithstanding, I was wrong. Three seconds later, the blown-up parts of the first heart and Amon regenerated! _You gotta be kidding me. Regeneration? That's cheap as hell!_

"Surprise, surprise, Father!", Agrigula taunted me, "you think it'll be quick for Amon, huh? So arrogant. My turn.

Blasphemer!

Blasphemer!

Blasphemer!

Blasphemer...!

Rites - of death! Return - to Hell!

I am - Satan's child. Attack you - with spells!

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b...".

Right away, Amon clutched the hole in his chest by his right hand, and pulled at the right edge, expanding the cavity a bit more, crying out with utter pain. Then, there was some kind of energy with bizarre color emitting from the hole, so bizarre I thought it could be the very color straight from H.P. Lovecraft's The Color Out of Space. Next, a beam of non-heat, alien energy was shot towards me! Lightning fast, I jumped out of the way, briskly standing up, fabricating hundreds of spiky microorganism barbs and discharging them forwards to the heart, one by one, like I was firing an invisible minigun.

Many shots missed, but the rest hit. Still, I had to dodge roll in order to avoid more beams of energy directed at me. It was not an easy task, controlling my clone and making him create more 'bullets' to shoot, but I must concentrate hard so as to destroy the first heart. Four minutes later, Amon built up another small sphere of colored energy in his chest to launch; once he started firing, I intended to dodge it. That was when I couldn't lift my left leg from the fleshy ground. Fleetly, I looked to my foot, and saw that the damn small portion of fleshy ground around it had sprouted little tendrils, them wrapping all over my foot! And then, the beam of energy sawed off the lower half of my clone's left leg...

"Argghhhhh!", I yelled painfully.

 _Ah, oh jeez! Oh fuck! Jesus fuck! Oh Jesus motherfuckin'- Fuck! Goddamn! Fuck! Oh Gods! Oh fuckin'... fuckin'- Gods!_

I fell down on the ground, grasping at my wounded leg, eyes tightly shut, tears rolling away. _It hurts. It fuckin' hurts. It fuckin' hurts like a fuckin' bloody bitch!_

"Oooh! That's a nasty wound, eh? Glad I hit that. Now, while you're in pain, I think you're ready for... How To Be In More Pain 101.

I turn the cross upside down!

And read Satanic Bible with fucking growl!

My life begins at midnight twelve!

Masturbate - to kill myself!".

Struggling mightily to keep the sensation of agony at bay, I opened my eyes, turning my head towards the direction of the heart, seeing Amon-Heart charging up for another energy shot. _Fuck it. You wanna play lazer beam? Let's play cocking lazer beam, you fuckin' fiendish son of a cunt!_ Groaning in suffering, gritting my teeth angrily, I began to construct a fairly big microorganism pyramid with the top, shaped after a Stormtrooper's E-11 Blaster Rifle Barrel, facing the first heart. The moment Amon discharged the beam, I moved my clone out of its range with effort; and when the 'Heart Blaster' was completed, I furiously fired the energy beams I'd used the microorganisms to produce with. The result was: The heart was punctured with lotta holes! Plus, it made Agrigula shriek more loudly than before! _Quote Slayer:"Payback's a bitch, motherfucker!"._

After that, I focused on growing my clone's wounded leg back to 'normal'. During the 'healing' process, I noticed that there was a lot of strange, colored light, released through the cavities, from something black, something pulsing inside the heart. Fuckin' fucker! That's why no matter how many times I hit the heart, Agrigula's still fine. He has a heart inside that heart! _Devious bastard. Well, now, I've got one of your tricks by the balls, fuckface._ The instant my leg was 100% healed, I immediately made my clone stand up and float, its whole body covered by flames just in case I'd be suddenly grabbed by summoned tendrils. As Amon-Heart fully regenerated, I stated, then sang:

"Time to get rid of one of your inner follies right. The. Fuck. Now!

Blasphemer!

Blasphemer!

Blasphemer!

Blasphemer...!

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b...

Rites - of death! Return - to Hell!

I am - Satan's child. Attack you - with spells!".

Agrigula, then, snarled with spite, making Amon crazily shoot short bursts of energy beams towards me. With speed, I flew low, around, occasionally dropping down to the ground to dodge roll, and to fire at Amon-Heart, then floating and flying again, to keep away from getting hit. Following that, I created a flying and self-rotating two-edged blade to deal with tendrils, assembled by Agrigula to cheat once again, sometimes utilizing the flames that covered me to burn away some that got too close. Nonetheless, while moving around to dodge the beams, I was almost hit, twice, this time, grazing the contacted parts, taking away a bit of my clone's right shoulder's skin and left earlobe! _Still hurts like fuckin' hell. Fuckin' shit._ Moments later, seeing that I'd caused enough damage to prevent the first heart from regenerating quickly, I guided the flames forwards, like a small firestorm, contacting and scorching away most of the heart's flesh, revealing the tiny one inside ( well, still bigger than a normal human; as big as someone's head ). Upon witnessing that, Agrigula gasped audibly.

"No".

"Oh yes, my son. Taste Dracon Beams, sucker!", I cried out triumphantly.

Next, I made the Heart Blaster discharge volley after volley of energy beams in the direction of the first true heart, endeavoring to fend off the tendrils as long as possible with my spinning blade. Finally, with too much devastation, the puny heart ruptured. Feeling intense pain, Agrigula roared in anguish and ire. _One down, three more to go. And in the end, I am the Blasphemer, to your existence._

 _I love to drink my own blood!_

 _My sin is my life in a war with God!_

 _I talk to the demons tonight!_

 _Making love and black masses in a dark-shadowed light!_

 _Blasphemer!_

 _Blasphemer!_

 _Blasphemer!_

 _( I am a )_

 _Blasphemer...!_

 _Rites - of death! Return - to Hell!_

 _I am - Satan's child. Attack you - with spells!_

 _B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b..._

 _Blasphemer!_

 _Blasphemer!_

 _Oh, blasphemer!_

 _Blasphemer...!_

...

Outside the Pro-Bending Arena, after Agrigula'd merged with Uughot.

Korra's p.o.v.

Upon seeing Agrigula and his pet monster rise from the water, capturing Amon, I was terrified. Very terrified. I had never seen such massive monstrosity before ( beside Sojana's pet, of course ), and the size of that thing chilled me to the bones. Next to me, Furroh was mumbling curse words now, being afraid himself. Yet I didn't even have a single thought about running away. _No, I will never run away and abandon people who're in danger!_ Having made up my mind, I grasped Furroh's hand, intending to lead him down to ground below.

"Come on! Those people need us!", I shouted.

"No Korra, don't be crazy! You lost all of your three basic bendings, and just now you gained airbending, but you didn't even master it yet! You'll kill us both!". The former teenage Equalist tried to stop me, yanking his hand away from my grip.

"Then what? Turn our tails and flee like cowards?", I countered, "I was done with avoiding Amon, so I'm not going to hide from those monsters!".

"I was gonna say we use a safer mean of exit, like, the arena's entrance or exit", my new friend replied dryly.

I scoffed. "There's no time for that, Mister. We gotta get down there right at this moment!". I grasped his hand again immediately. "Just hold on to me!".

Next, I jumped.

"No, Korraaaaa!", Furroh screamed in fright, instantly clinging really tightly to me, causing me to wrap my left arm over his hip in case his fear made him let go.

Following that, I started airbending repeatedly towards the ground, hoping against hope that it'd break our fall, Simel's brother still screaming beside me. Notwithstanding, we were still falling very fast! Two more tries later, suddenly, I bent a long, great gush of air, greater than the other gushes! And then, it truly broke our fall. Once landing softly on the ground on our feet, Furroh promptly said:

"Korra, I know you look hot when you're determined. But, please, never EVER do that again!".

Momentarily blushing, I responded:"Sorry. And thanks". Then, I was determined again. "Let's go".

The instant we arrived among the crowd, the people were gasping and murmuring aloud; following the direction they were gazing at, I and Furroh saw that... Agrigula's monstrosity was sickeningly changing its form! _But where is Agrigula? And where is Amon?_ After about one minute, the huge creature completed its transformation, looking like a gigantic tree with flesh, with protruding, sharp-looking, bending-upwards-and-downwards branch-spires, a dreadfully freakish, inhuman face near the end of the branches, at the center of the upper part of the monster's body, and two fiendishly familiar arms, one a blade, the other nearly normal, very big tendrils germinating all over it, waving and moving lazily about. _Spirits, what an abominable... thing._ The crowd looked really frightened now, crying out in despair. Not waiting 'til the monstrous beast began to attack, I quickly airbent at it while addressing the people:

"Everyone, get out of here, now! Run!".

Upon hearing me, the people were no longer 'under the spell' of the creature's hideous appearance, they started fleeing. Also, upon seeing me charging the thing, Furroh decided to join in, directing electric blasts forwards to our dark enemy. However, the combination of air gushes and electric blasts was not harming the giant horror at all! Growling and chuckling darkly, our foe lifted its left arm up a little, its fingers relaxingly pointing forwards; then, I heard screams of pain from the fleeing former Equalist supporters and citizens of Republic City. I and Furroh turned around then and there, witnessing them being... bloodbent? _How is it possible?_ The monstrosity's evil voice made us turn our attention back to it.

"Am I not full of surprises?", it jeered, "now with Amon being a part of me". _"Being a part of" it? That means Amon... Oh no._ "I can utilize bloodbending properly. No one, not even Yakone, or Hama, could do it right. But now I'm showing you how it's truly done!".

"Let them go, Agrigula! I'm the one you want!", I shouted angrily.

It chortled. "You? Ha ha ha ha ha, don't make me laugh, little Avatar. You are only supper compared to the main course - this whole planet's physical and spiritual energy. Yet I'll make you watch, though, when the All-Lord is here, consuming everything he sees before his very eyes. After that, maybe I'll be generous and hand you over to Sojana; because, believe me, you don't wanna be near the All-Lord when he works up an appetite".

I gritted my teeth. "If so, why didn't you just subdue me then? Why them?".

"Oh, I just want to have some fun with you up to the moment He arrives. Tell you what, let's play a game: You and your friend there vs my little children. If you get knocked down, one of them innocent people will die. If your friend get knocked down, two will die. And if you eliminate every wave I throw at you, I'll leave them be. Whadda ya say, Avatar? Dare to win? or desire to lose?".

 _You... you vile, depraved scoundrel._ I closed my eyes, trying to pick one of the 'options', choler filling me to the core.

"Korra, don't do it", Furroh spoke hurriedly, seeming to beg me, "there has to be another way! I-I... I can't! I can't handle it if those lives are on my hands!".

I opened my eyes to look at him.

"Please" was all he said next.

I returned my gaze to Agrigula, staring at its face intensely. "I accept", I stated simply.

Furroh breathed hard alongside me. I didn't look at him, but I knew he was spotting a look of disbelief on his face, not that I blame him. Shortly later, Agrigula spoke excitedly:

"Very well! Let the game begin".

Following that, one of its branch-spires moved to the ground, almost touching the concrete surface. And then, there were strange liquids dropping all over the ground beneath the big thing, forming ten blobs in total. Soon after that, without delay, the blobs turned into mud-like, humanoid shapes of all sizes. _Spirits, they look so creepy._ And it's true; without a distinct feature, all bland and eerily similar to one another, they looked immensely creepy.

"Wave one, start!", Agrigula announced.

Before I could even bend, Furroh silently rushed forwards, lashing one of his bolas left and right, striking and hitting and causing four of the humanoids to disintegrate, flexibly dodging the rest's attempt to smack him, backflipping and doing all sorts of crazy Equalist moves, slashing all around him with incredible speed! When all was said and done, all of the ten humanoids were entirely eliminated! _Wow._

"Impressive. This'll be more fun than I thought", Agrigula commented, "wave two!".

Seconds later, the branch-spire lowered again, dripping more liquids this time, creating about sixteen or seventeen humanoids. As Furroh started engaging the new wave of enemies, I came to assist him, airbending three of them to oblivion, kicking and punching some more. When there were only five left, they, all of a sudden, became aggressive, and I barely dodged a blade-arm from one humanoid, it sharply grazing my right shoulder. At once, I heard one of the civilians scream aloud in agony, distracting me; when I focused again, a fist connected to my left cheek, knocking me down. Nevertheless, before I hit the ground, someone shouted:"Korra! Damn it!"; then, I felt hands catch me by my back and the nape of my neck. After that, I was guided back up, seeing Furroh using martial art kicks to eliminate two of the nearest humanoids that were about to assault us.

That was when I detected another one speedily coming up to us. Without hesitation, I pushed Furroh away and airbent at the oncoming foe, not noticing the last one discharge a blast towards my friend, knocking him flying away. Enraged, I butterfly kicked a strong gush of air against it, splashing it apart instantly. The next two seconds, I heard two horrifically agonizing and death screams, turning my head in time to witness two red mists of blood and splintered body parts among the bloodbent crowd, mortified. _What have I done?_ Double-quick, I turned to Agrigula with outrage, then, upon remembering that Furroh had gotten hit by the last of the humanoids, I ran back to check on him, finding out that he was still alive. I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Furroh groaned, looking up at me, croaking:

"Now you see what you did?".

My eyes was filled with tears straightaway. "I'm sorry, I-I thought-".

He fiercely sat and stood up. "Well, you thought wrong! But it doesn't matter, for here comes the third wave. And you should do your best to NOT get yourself, or me, knocked down again".

Returning my vision back to Agrigula, I discerned approximately twenty-four humanoids, slightly worried. _So the stake is raised higher. And if I fail totally, this city will become exactly what Saudorn's song 'Apocalyptic City' expressed. No, I'm not going to let that happen. For Republic City! For the fallen! For Saudorn..._

 _Born - into a world of hatred!_

 _Nothing to live for!_

 _What started with a simple match_

 _turned into something more!_

 _The pain I felt inside my head_

 _came on my day of birth!_

 _Now the time has come for me_

 _to burn the planet Earth!_

 _I can feel the fire_

 _burning inside of me!_

 _The powers at my fingers._

 _Waiting, you shall see!_

 _Burn! Ignite the population!_

 _Burn! Causing mass cremation!_

 _Burn! Feel no shame or pity!_

 _Burn! Apocalyptic city._

 _Years have passed as I stood still_

 _to plan the final blow!_

 _I'll make the town go up in flames!_

 _A hellish death they'll know!_

 _As I pour on the gasoline,_

 _I listen deep inside!_

 _I hear the cries of all my victims!_

 _Nowhere to run or hide!_

 _I can feel the fire_

 _burning inside of me!_

 _The powers at my fingers._

 _Waiting, you shall see!_

 _Burn! Ignite the population!_

 _Burn! Causing mass cremation!_

 _Burn! Feel no shame or pity!_

 _Burn! Apocalyptic city._

 _Now my great assault is over!_

 _And my life is done!_

 _Staring at my great infernos_

 _was my only fun!_

 _So I leave you with my tale!_

 _Here, my conscious falls!_

 _Victim of myself!_

 _So! Now I'll end it all!_

 _I can feel the fire_

 _burning inside of me!_

 _The powers at my fingers._

 _Waiting, you shall see!_

 _Burn! Ignite the population!_

 _Burn! Causing mass cremation!_

 _Burn! Feel no shame or pity!_

 _Burn! Apocalyptic city._ (*)

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	38. Chapter 34

**Note: Sorry for skipping last week, as it was just too shitty for me to finish this chapter. Also, this week, the cold is setting in and the internet is beginning to be fucked-up, so I don't know if I'll be able to publish the next chapter next week or not. But we'll see. This chapter contains coarse language and nightmarish stuff. I don't own the songs Blacklist by Exodus, Piece By Piece by Slayer and Into The Pit by Testament. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXXIV - Pit of War**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, a distance away from the Pro-Bending Arena.

Azara's p.o.v.

I rapidly dodged back and forth, left and right, to avoid getting hit by the toxic blood bursts from the three Corpses Behemoths, Sojana cackling with glee all the time, making me hate her more and more than ever. So far, I had managed to break three of the six seals on the right one's mask, two on the left one's and one of the seven seals on Sojana's mount's; and the price was me taking a lightning sphere head-on and me being slashed by my second archenemy's barrage of crescent moon-shaped lightning. To be honest, I was surprised because I merely had a hunch about those weaknesses, and I never thought it would even work: I didn't sense strong magic on the weak points, at all. I had several guesses about how it came to be, but it didn't matter, really. The important thing was to defeat Sonjana, or at least dispatch her pets, as soon as possible; all the while, to eliminate or avoid the Warslaves as well.

"What happened to you, dear Azara?". Sojana laughed. "Suddenly you just can't get close enough to even one of my babies and take it out! You're losing your touch, sweetheart".

"Well, if you think I've lost my touch, how about you get off that thing, tell your "babies' to back off and take on me one on one?", I countered.

She chuckled. "Don't think so, love. I'm comfy where I am now. Besides, I love watching you exert yourself; it makes me wet".

"Oh yeah? Hope you squirt blood after... THIS!".

Irritated, I grasped three warrior crusaders and threw them at my foe, one by one; next, without hesitating, I grabbed an explosive cultist about one meter away, quickly hurling it forwards. Arrogantly, Sojana commanded two of her pets to decimate her two flying minions with brown, corrosive bile, just like they'd done to the numbers of Satomobiles and slabs of concrete I used to fight them. However, with me being a bit creative this time, having put an explosive enemy in the midst, it was Sojana's turn to be surprised, her panickedly utilizing her ability to disintegrate matters to wipe the about-to-go-boom cultist away from existence, before it got too close. Fooled by my new tactic, my enemy irately snarled:

"Oh, so this is how you wanna play, huh? Children, tear her apart!".

 _Yes, let's play 'brawling'. All the blood spurting is so childish._

I waited 'til all three of the Behemoths approached me, then, I jumped out of the way to the left, using feet to push against a building's wall and to launch me forwards to a Flamethrower as it began to discharge fire. After that, I flung it at the Behemoth on the left's left side of its mask, taking out two of its seals, causing it to roar aloud in pain. Immediately, Sojana formed, and guided a bunch of hand-sized lightning spheres towards me, following me pretty sharply as I ran to steer clear of the sizzling line of destructive orbs. Once my archnemesis ran out of 'bullets' for the time being, I fleetly picked up a taken-down, corroded lamp post, careful not to touch the damaged parts created by the blood and bile from the monsters, rushing at the monstrosity on the right, dodging Sojana's next volley of lightning spheres and another burst of blood, performing a spinning upperblow and a death thrust aiming for my next target's mask's chin and right side, completely removing two more of the seals, backflipping backwards in time to escape a swipe from Sojana's mount's huge, right paw.

Following that, I was headed forwards to the abomination on the left, and leaped on it, while the thing started spewing blood at me, me having seized a dislocated, short piece of grooved tram rail lying on the ground, stabbing it in the beast's 'head', using all my strength to turn it to Sojana's colossus. No sooner the blood contacted 'my mount's' 'friend' or 'sibling' or whatever, four of the seven seals were impaired greatly, making it lunge around in utter agony, my nemesis almost getting thrown off the thing. _Only two remain._

"Blast it!", grumbled my second archenemy, turning to address me, "I see now that it's a waste of time playing with you. I should have stopped this foolishness and ended your pathetic swarm of defending human leftovers mercilessly!". After that, she fabricated a big lightning sphere, throwing it at me, prompting me to jumped off the Behemoth before I was fried. "My children, forward!", Sojana, then, directed her pets.

Upon realizing what Sojana was going to do, I performed a mega-spring towards where the Special Force were, furiously fending off wave after wave of monstrosities, and warned them:

"Sojana's on the move and she wants to kill you!". Following that, I ordered the earthbenders, firebenders, Yunpei, waterbenders and metalbenders:"Earthbenders, raise more mounds and use the ones far behind to fortify them. Keep them steady! Firebenders, when I say the word, bend fireblasts over the mounds to distract the huge beasts! Then, your objective is to stay with Lieutenant Yunpei. After that, Yunpei, you break smaller earth masses from the mounds and push the Warslaves away. Don't worry about directions, just push everywhere! Also, when I say it, you need to bend big rock at those massive abominations' mouths in order to stop them from spurting toxic blood, for a while. Next, you and the earthbenders need to surround those monstrosities with earthen fence, and keep them busy 'til my reinforcement arrives. When they break their earthgags, aim for the glowing seals to hit; but don't try to take on the last seal from the one in the middle. That thing's above your capability. Waterbenders and metalbenders, once the coast is clear, you must do your damnedest to keep the enemy infantry at bay! Do you understand?".

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!".

"Alright, soldiers, brace for impact!".

Next, we all heard Sojana bellow:"Outta my way, you useless fuckin' trash, they're mine!".

And then...

The monsters slammed against the defensive mounds with a thunderous, deafening crashing sound, causing the earthbenders to exclaim, both in fright and with surprise, many straining to simply keep our defenses from being fractured to segments by the horrors' sheer, insane strength. Immediately, I joined in with the earthbenders, pushing my hands against the mounds, feeling the impact of the next monstrous blows from the Behemoths, grunting aloud with mighty effort. _By the Light, this is like playing 'the Formidable Fortress' with a freakin' pissed-off Zefordaxxin!_ ( pronounced 'Zfôdaxxin'. A very very big half-insect, half-Ankylosaurus-like, as mean and as strong as three T-rexes )

"Whatever you do, do NOT... Argh-ahhh... let those things- breach the mounds!", I reminded the earthbenders.

About two minutes later, I heard Sojana shout:"My children, melt these tedious earthwalls with your bile, right now!".

After that, the big creatures made several retching sounds, them getting harsher and harsher by the seconds; and when the sound indicating that they were going to puke was heard, I quickly ordered the firebenders:

"Firebenders, fire!".

At once, the firebenders bent fireblasts over the mounds, many surely landing upon the abominations, prompting Sojana to screech with surprise, her probably jumping back to avoid the flaming bursts, and her pets to shriek out loud in pain. Next, I gave the earthbenders a new order:

"Earthbenders. Push!".

The earthbenders made the mounds move forwards, causing the massive brutes to yelp in a panic. Following that, I told the firebenders to keep bending in order to distract the colossi further, then I advised the earthbenders to hold on, as the defenses were struck by... multiple medium-sized lightning spheres! And they were followed by some thrown over the mounds, resulting in me telling the firebenders NOT to redirect the lightning spheres, but to dodge them like everyone else. When the volley of lightning orbs stopped, I once again ordered the firebenders to fire.

"Earthbenders. Again. Push!", I yelled. Then, upon hearing the Warslaves' warcries, I turned to Yunpei. "Lieutenant Yunpei, it's your turn!".

Silently nodding, Yunpei earthbent the outer earth masses straight ahead. I didn't know what was happening beyond the defensive mounds, but I was sure that it was as chaotic as any Imperium-forces-engaging-Chaos-forces battle in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Once the earthen layers were thin enough to peer through, I ordered Yunpei and all earthbenders to hurl the remaining earth masses at the Corpses Behemoths so as to block their mouths and to construct a really tight earth fence around them to let the waterbenders and metalbenders get pass them unharmed. Shortly later, I turned my attention to the waterbenders and metalbenders.

"Waterbenders! Metalbenders! Get ready to do your part!", I reminded them of their incoming task.

The moment Yunpei and the earthbenders did their job for the time being, I pointed forwards and roared:

"CHARGE!".

And then, like a small, but fierce flood, the waterbending and metalbending Special Force soldiers, led by me, stormed forwards, determined to destroy our foes utterly, the song Into The Pit by Testament playing in my mind. _Time for me to prove that the people in the World of Benders also know how to conduct a proper Wall of Death!_

 _Deep in the pit and lying alone,  
_ _where death has reared itself a throne!  
_ _We're all the good, the bad, the worst and the best,  
_ _and where they land is their eternal rest!_

 _Foul plays of passion at twilight's dim!  
_ _In joy of woe, of good and sin!  
_ _Winds of storm and fates overcast!  
_ _Darkly, my present is now your past!_

 _Join the insanity or die as you fall!  
_ _In-to - the - pit!  
_ _The mass production and the killing of all!  
_ _In-to - the - pit!  
_ _The future screaming for help are fading away!  
_ _In-to - the - pit!  
_ _The world tomorrow - will it die for today?  
_ _Into the pit!_

 _So, in the sad, silent watches of night,  
_ _the lonely pathway envisions my sight!  
_ _Echoes of laughter and boundless cries!  
_ _So here I wander under infinite skies!_

 _Join the insanity or die as you fall!  
_ _In-to - the - pit!  
_ _The mass production and the killing of all!  
_ _In-to - the - pit!  
_ _The future screaming for help are fading away!  
_ _In-to - the - pit!  
_ _The world tomorrow - will it die for today?  
_ _Into the pit!_

...

Republic City, over Yue Bay, onboard the Airship Atmosfear.

Mako's p.o.v.

As I was trying to get rid of the 'sword' glued to my hands, occasionally glancing nervously around me to watch out for some of Manoward's abominable subordinates, who stared at me all the time, their ugly and evil eyes emitting only hate and hunger, General Iroh and our foe continued their own showdown, dancing and sword-clashing against one another with precise lethality. I have heard tales about General Iroh fighting and defeating villains with his almost-perfect swordsmanship and firebending and superb mentality; and even though those tales were not as legendary as Lord Zuko's journey with Avatar Aang, or as Fire Lord Izumi's brilliant military campaign against 'the Second Great Order of The Fire Nation's Restoration' alongside her father when she was only a 20-year-old Crown Princess, now, while I witnessed how Iroh the Second showed off his swordfighting skills and fought for his own lifeforce at the same time, I realized that he was just as impressive as his mother and grandfather!

I just wished his sister, Rokasa-Mai ( after Avatar Roku, Lord Zuko's mother Ursa and Zuko's wife Lady Mai ) - the Warden of the Boiling Rock Prison, was proud of him too. Not that she hated him or anything ( so I was told ), she just resented the fact that not only Iroh the Second was named after the original Iroh, but also his name was simple, yet magnificent, while hers was strange, too strange a name for a Fire Nation royalty, even when it consisted of three of the most significant figures' names in Lord Zuko's life ( also so I was told ).

Anyhow, as I kept on struggling, 'my' sword drained my vital force more and more aggressively. I had tried to do the trick, tried very hard, but it was like battling with a vehemently rabid and bloodthirsty wolfbat, it fangs sinking deep in my flesh to suck my red liquid dry. Second after second, little by little, I became weaker and weaker, and was desperate, very desperate. But I was still aware enough to see that Manoward's monsters were getting more and more restless and excited, perhaps having been waiting for me to die completely, then descending upon me like a pack of lion vultures, savagely feasting and devouring the unlucky human prey. _No, I'm not letting it happen! I will not die like this! Come on, Mako, think. Think!_

Meanwhile, way ahead of me, Manoward and General Iroh were still dueling intensely, not giving in to the other- No, WILL NOT give in to the other! Iroh was in the same problem like me, only that he had to fight for his life, both externally and internally; his foe, on the other hand, was driven by the sadistic and uncontrollable desire to 'toy with food'. Yet it was a losing effort for Iroh, as he must deal with too many fatal troubles at hand, endeavoring exceedingly to avoid one death-dealing strike after another, with each recent one getting closer to finish the respectable general off than the last. Suddenly, Iroh was on his left knee and right foot, vulnerably exposed to the maniacal Manoward.

"General Iroh, no!", I shouted aloud.

I didn't know what followed after that, it just happened too fast, but there was a flash of light and heat, and I heard our foe shriek in surprise. And then, there was a scream of pain. Whatever occurred, it weakened me further, causing me to drop on my knees and making the abominations very, very enlivened. _Come on, Mako, do something! You don't wanna die, do you? Come on- Alright, alright. What did Mom use to say, Mako? "When you're a firebender, don't become wild fire, destructive and out of control; instead, become a phoenix made of flames and of life, calm and clever... and undying, metaphorically, of course". "A phoenix made of flames and of life". "Undying, metaphorically". Yes, that's it! Just like pro-bending, the key is to control the amount of juice for the whole match! That means... the only way for this 'sword' to let me go is to feed it flames, as fire is also life! And so I'll feed it enough to satisfy it for a time!_

With the newly formed plan, I started bending myself a pair of flaming fists, feeling the 'saber' greedily siphon the blaze as if still 'famished'. Shortly after that, I sensed my strength coming back to me; it was like the weapon preferred my firebending more than my lifeforce! And at that same moment, Manoward's monstrosities came at me. However, having regained resilience, I quickly stood up, managing to firebend with my kicks, then hacking and slashing at the horrors with the lightning blade, fighting my way to where General Iroh was... lying on the floor. Once I got near him, I used the saber to cut down 'his' sword, stopping it right from taking his vitality further. Following that, the 'sword' 'let go' of me, me kneeling down and asked him, concerned:

"General Iroh, are you alright?".

But he appeared to be unconscious, or dead. _No, it can't be! He can't be dead!_ Immediately, I checked on his breathing and heart rate, and I was glad. For he was still alive! _Thank the Spirits._ That was when I heard a booming roar of agony and rage from outside. _Agrigula. Spirits, I hope Korra and Furroh are okay._ Three seconds later, I stood up and faced Manoward, who was standing closely behind the main controls of the airship, realizing that his right arm was severed; nonetheless, he was not worried, at all. Then, I knew why: His wound had stopped bleeding. I didn't know how, and still don't. Regardless, I perceived the fact that this guy had more tricks up his sleeve than he'd let on. _Also, he's still dangerous even without his right arm._ Fleetly, I took on a fighting stance upon hearing another roar, ready for his attack at any time he chose. Nevertheless, he didn't do anything, just staying still, smirking mockingly.

"Come on. I'm ready for you, you bastard", I growled.

"Oh no, you're not, little boy". My enemy chuckled. "Notwithstanding, I have some... technical difficulty to attend to. You can deal with the rest of my subordinates if you want". Following this, he snapped his fingers, then he turned to the main controls and fiddled with them. "And just as well, I'm activating Protocol Have-A-Nice-Day, meaning: This airship, and the others are gonna self-destruct in five minutes. Hope you enjoy my last gift for ya. Have a nice day!".

Once Manoward finished his sentence, I discerned growling and groaning sounds some distances behind me; then, a song blasting from the airship's speakers. At once, I made a 180 degree turn only to find out that there were all of a sudden more of those nightmarish creatures, sprouting from... the growths! _Oh wonderful. Just wonderful._ Rapidly, I turned back to Manoward in case he decided to backstab me. Turned out, he vanished! _You gotta be joking. But at least I have just one side to worry about._ Gradually, I returned my attention to the monsters, once again taking on a fighting stance, awaiting the vile opponents to strike.

It is no mystery.  
What you get is what you see.  
You be-trayed my loyalty.  
You've gone and done me wrong.  
Now I do you harm.  
My revenge - is guaranteed.  
You stabbed me in the back,  
spit right in my eye,  
dragging me into the fray.

Take you out, write you off.  
There're never enough  
ways to throw you away!

You'd better start runnin'  
'cause you know that I'm comin'.  
Cocked and loaded and I have never missed!  
I'm onto your game  
and I'm layin' the blame  
and I'm addin' your name to my blacklist!  
You should've thought twice  
'cause your playin' with your life.  
You must have some sort of death wish!  
I haven't any doubt  
that your time has run out,  
'cause I've added your name  
to my blacklist.

You tried to beat me.  
Thought - you could defeat me.  
But how were you ever wrong.  
I rise to the occasion,  
character assassination,  
to put you down where you belong.  
You've got a lot to say  
when I'm so far away.  
Now you've got a problem with me.

Take you out, write you off  
when I've had enough  
of your verbal debris!

You'd better start runnin'  
'cause you know that I'm comin'.  
Cocked and loaded and I have never missed!  
I'm onto your game  
and I'm layin' the blame  
and I'm addin' your name to my blacklist!  
You should've thought twice  
'cause your playin' with your life.  
You must have some sort of death wish!  
I haven't any doubt  
that your time has run out,  
'cause I've added your name  
to my blacklist.

For all the shit you talk,  
you've never walked the walk.  
All you do - is run and hide.  
Slander me, slag me,  
you'd better body bag me.  
I'm not a man you should deride.  
I've heard everything,  
all your mudslinging.  
You'd better run as fast as you can.

Take you out, write you off.  
Are you brave enough  
to stand up and fight like a man?

You'd better start runnin'  
'cause you know that I'm comin'.  
Cocked and loaded and I have never missed!  
I'm onto your game  
and I'm layin' the blame  
and I'm addin' your name to my blacklist!  
You should've thought twice  
'cause your playin' with your life.  
You must have some sort of death wish!  
I haven't any doubt  
that your time has run out,  
'cause I've added your name  
to my blacklist.

I've added your name  
to my blacklist.  
I've added your name  
to my blacklist.  
I've added your name  
to my blacklist...!

I've added your name...!  
To my blacklist!  
I've added your name...!  
To my blacklist!  
I've added your name...!  
To my blacklist!  
I've added your name!  
To my blacklist!

...

Republic City, outside the Pro-Bending Arena.

Furroh's p.o.v.

After managing, barely, to clear the sixth wave Agrigula 'threw' at us, and to not get knocked down as frequently as possible. So far, I and Korra had brought about the death of three more people, struggling immensely to keep both of us steady on our feet. The more we participated deeper into this cruel game, the more my hate for the Avatar returned with a vengeance! _By the Spirits, why did she have to accept Agrigula's loathsome proposition for his own amusement? Why must she torture us both with her stupid decision? She's gotten one killed, but I, I've gotten four butchered! After this, after all this, if I was not responsible for those deaths, Chief Beifong, Councilman Tenzin or whoever else in charge would just jail me for, like, fifteen or twenty years for conspiracy to commit treason, terrorism and illegal chi-blocking. Now with four deaths on my hands, I may face not only twenty years, but also twenty-five, or thirty! Maybe even thirty-five! I don't care about being locked-up, but I care about being separated from Simel. She's only sixteen, so her sentence can only be staying in a secured juvenile facility, for, maybe, ten years. However, if I served a thirty-five-year sentence, even if pardoned and released early for good behavior, I'd be living without her, and I can't stand that!_

 _I... I love her-_

"Look out!". I heard someone yelled.

Then, I was swept off my feet by the young Avatar, helping me avoid a blast from one of the monsters. Next, I jumped off her powerful and pretty muscular arms, getting another of my bolas out again and throwing it at the culprit, easily eliminating him. Without hesitating, Korra bent two gushes of air at the last two members of the current wave and effectively decimated them. Following that, she turned to me.

"Furroh, you're my good friend now. But for Spirits' sake, you should have stayed true to your words! You were about to get thwacked again!", she scowled me.

"Yeah, all thanked to you, Avatar", I replied coldly.

"And what exactly does that mean?". Her tone hardened.

I sneered. "You know what I meant".

"You're saying it was all my fault?". She sounded slightly taken aback, scoffing. "I can't believe this. You know I can't just-".

There was a loud chuckle. It was Agrigula's. "I looooove teenage dramas. You sound like a perfect couple!".

"You shut up, you damn abomination!", Korra confronted Agrigula, "I and Furroh are not a couple. And just so you know, I will have your _head_ for what you've done to Saudorn!".

Agrigula laughed now. "I'm afraid you're not that good, Mother. Or should I say... Mother-To-Be? But I know what you're really good at: Pleasing a man like you did to Daddy Saudorn. After all, you just can't help it, you really are talented".

 _Spirits, this despicable thing is even more vile than I thought._

With a shout of rage, Korra rushed at the huge monstrosity, her hands aflame with firebending. _No, what are you doing?_ Fleetly, I went after her to stop her. Once she was within my reach, I grabbed her left shoulder with my right hand.

"Korra, don't forget we're still in his game!", I reminded her of what was still going on.

"Fuck his game, I don't care!", the Avatar responded with vehemence, using her boyfriend's language now, and heatedly shrugged off my grip, "I don't know how he knows, but I'll teach him to NOT stain my most intimate and best memory of Saudorn!".

Ignoring her reason, I grabbed her again, spinning her around for her to face me. "Don't be stupid, Korra. He was baiting you, just like what he did before to get you discharged to the ground, and then I have to rescue you all over again, resulting in me letting more of the innocent die! Just because I'm no longer an Equalist, doesn't mean I'll love having my hands bloodier with other gory demises! Do you hear me? I. Won't!".

Suddenly, the Avatar pushed at my shoulders. "Oh yeah? Keep blaming me, why don't you? Keep pointing finger at me, because that's all you're skilled for. You blame me for putting deaths on your hands, and then you ignore the fact that all the moral pressure was on me the whole time! Don't you think I was aware of those deaths? Don't you think blood was on my hands too? You selfish little bastard, you just love yourself more than taking equal responsibility like a man, huh?".

 _Oh, you just crossed the damn line with that last part, Avatar!_

"You dare talk about love that way shortly after Saudorn dies?", I shouted out loud, enraged, "you have no right to be upset when you forgot I have a SISTER!".

Next, I attempted to punch the young Avatar in the face, not caring if I was actually trying to hit a girl like an uneducated brute. I was too far gone. And being the brash demi-god she was, Korra caught my right fist right when it was inches from her face. Following that, she headbutted me in the forehead, causing me to be quite foggy, stepping a couple of steps back; and then, I received a kick to the stomach, which launched me a fair distance away, me hitting the ground on my back, air brutally knocked out of my lungs. When I focused again, I saw the Avatar in midair, probably having jumped forwards to where I was lying, preparing to deliver another blow. Speedily, I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid her super curbstomp, getting up and resolving to... chi-block her.

However, she already had past experience encountering with chi-blockers before, so it was like she'd anticipated my strikes, dodging them like she was an Equalist herself! After that, she retaliated, executing jabs and kicks with incredible speed! And she didn't even forget to put in some weird martial art moves and airbending as well. It was like she'd become a new person entirely! Subsequently, we locked hands in an intense push-of-war; it was as if we were two bloodlusted human boar-q-pines fighting to the death.

"Quite surprising, isn't it?". The Avatar's voice was so damnably taunting. "I learned all those moves from Saudorn's wrestling skills. Of course, we were just friends back then; but I'll be damned if I was not glad he stepped inside my life. I love him and I KNOW what I was talking about. Unlike you". She began to bend my hands backwards painfully, forcing me to kneel down in order to ease the throbbing sensation.

 _Ah, Spirits, it hurts! Back when I was an Equalist and when I still hated her, I found her attractive the first time I saw her. Her muscles was incredible. And now, if she was just joking about hurting me like this, I'd be aroused to no end. But, damn it, the pain is freakin' real!_

That was when I heard Agrigula speak. "Interesting! There's nothing better than looking at two puny humans going at each other's throat, simply because their ego is just too big for them to work it out with one another. You subspecies amuse and disgust me".

And then, as though waking up from a dream, Korra stared at me with confusion. After that, she promptly released my hands and stepped back upon realizing what she'd done. Freed from her steel-like grip, I fervently rubbed my hands and wrists to make the pain go away. I stood up and glared at her. Even though I heard what Agrigula'd said, I was still angry at Korra for telling me that I only loved myself. Shortly after that, while I was still glowering at the Avatar, abruptly, Agrigula roared out loud in agony. Surprised, I and Korra turned to look at our enemy, seeing it clutch its chest with its left hand. _What in damnation is happening?_ Shortly later, the huge beast let out another roar and started attacking us with both of its hands! _What is really going on here?_

While I and the young Avatar tried to dodged the wild and violent landing blows, I had a glimpse of the people behind us. Somehow, someway, they were no longer controlled by bloodbending! After dodge rolling away from one of Agrigula's left hand's tendrils, I cried out to the former Equalists and Equalist supporters:

"Everyone, get out of here! Save yourselves! Run!".

Upon hearing that, they hurriedly got up and fled. Two seconds later, I turned around in time to see another tendril crashing down; swiftly, I jumped out of the way, getting close to Korra, who'd dodged, and now was airbending at Agrigula.

"What are we gonna do now, Korra? He's gone berserk!".

"I don't know, Furroh". Saudorn's girlfriend looked at me grimly. "I don't know".

...

Inside Uughigula.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

After finishing with all the roaring and howling, Agrigula's second heart moved forwards, with the tendrils withdrawing; and once again, Amon emerged from the inside of that thing. _This is truly like Limbo to him: Forever trapped in an alien world and be a sickening part of it. Maybe the only way to free him is to totally kill my nemesis._ Next, all of a sudden, I heard moans and groans all around, seeing strange, humanoid shapes approach me as I looked about, slightly spooked. Under the weird, eerie and phosphoric light, the shapes looked like they were made out of mud, some being human-like without distinct features, some having eldritch-quality appearances, such as: Arms separated into tendrils down from the elbows, tendril head, curving spikes covering whole body, figure looking as if a bunch of entrails were magically attached together, headless forms with human and monstrous heads swirling around them, etc...

 _Seems like Agrigula has finally summoned his mean of defense mechanism. Great._

"Destroying my first heart was some extraordinary feat, BUT don't think you can do the same with this one", my first archenemy's voice boomed, followed by the sound of Slayer's Piece By Piece riffs, "prepare to be ripped, or blown apart...

Modulistic terror!  
A vast sadistic feast!  
The only way to exit  
is going piece by piece!".

Then, the monstrosities charged at me, shrieking and screeching horrid-sounding warcries, some shooting mud-like blasts at me, some spitting disgusting bile forwards, some trying to grasp me with the tendrils, some sending floating heads towards me to take some bites, some jumping at me with the intention to claw and lacerate, and so on and so forth, causing me to dodge and dodge roll around continuously, me retaliating by creating two flying microorganism sword-spears, hacking and slashing everywhere, cutting limbs off, severing heads, dividing enemies in two. However, it was not enough, as more of them showed up from the dark parts of the 'chamber'. _Time to step up my game._

Not hesitating, I made the microorganisms produce fire and formed big blocks of hardened microbes; and then, I proceeded to blast fire in all directions and to hurl the blocks towards my abominable opponents, singing ( the verb 'singe' not 'sing' ) them and crushing them pitilessly, them uttering loudly, bellowing and shrilling in pain. It was pandemonium. After that, planning quickly, I formed more 'germs' to manipulate air particles, sort of like airbending, picking up some of the horrors and throwing them at the second heart, also my sword-spears as well, all the while taking care of the remnant of the defense mechanism. Snickering amusedly, Agrigula made the second Amon-Heart... blow my 'projectiles' away!

"Ha ha ha ha ha. You think you're the only one 'airbending' here? Furthermore, I doubt you know how to blow cold air!

You have no choice of life or death!  
My face, you will not see!  
I'll rip your flesh 'till there's no breath!  
Dismembered destiny!".

Shortly after that, Amon began to blow cold air towards me, prompting me to jump away to avoid the shots, barely. In the process of that, without thinking, I molded more blocks, sharpening some sides a bit, to toss at the heart, making them take a zigzag course so as for Arigula to miss; and the result was: Every single chunk, save for one, was turned to ice and broke upon impact, after meeting the cold air blasts! ( The bastard was almost one of a kind when it came to marksmanship, almost, but I'll give him that nonetheless ). About two seconds later, the missed block reached its destination and hit a part of the second heart, piercing it mildly with the sharpened sides, making Agrigula grunt with annoyance. Feeling a little arrogant, I mocked him:

"It seems to me you got hit, regardless of your 'airbending', son".

"You call that a 'hit'? You're insulting me, Father. After taking out my first poor heart, I thought you'd do better. Well, no matter, time will tell. Now, if cold didn't solve the problem, maybe heat can!

As soon as life has left your corpse,  
I'll make you part of me!  
No e-mo-tion,  
death is all I see!".

Having used our short, bantering time to spread microorganisms all over the 'chamber' to 'monitor' Agrigula's next moves more effectively, I immediately detected heat from Amon's eyes; following that, he discharged, like Superman utilizing heat vision, me dodge rolling briskly, all the while, the horrendous shapes returned. _You aim to keep me busy with your heat vision and let your 'kids' finish me off, huh? I'm not that stupid._ Swiftly, I 'firebent' again, this time adding darts in the shape of side-notched, broadhead arrowheads to puncture through the horde, causing massive damages and executing the stubborn ones. Not wasting time, I elicited the microbes to manufacture acidic, corrosive liquid, aiming at the heart and letting loose torrent after torrent of the erosive fluid, still dodging my archnemesis's heat vision.

"How about that, huh, my son? Are you enjoying my especially brewed root beer?", I taunted Agrigula, seeing Amon-Heart II thrash in agony once the juice hit it time and time again, "kinda like waterbending, eh? Just in time for the chorus!

Modulistic terror!  
A vast sadistic feast!  
The only way to exit  
is going piece by piece!".

As soon as I stopped 'waterbending' to preserve my clone's strength for the next part - the smaller heart inside the bigger heart - I saw the black, puny ticker through the damaged portions of the huge organ, all beating calmly, though a bit faster than the first one, unaware of the danger outside ( namely ME ). _There you are, sucker. Say hello to your friend in the other side._ Immediately, I fabricated a mega-plumbata ( a much bigger version of lead-weighted darts carried by infantrymen during the Middle Ages ), and was about to guide it towards the tiny heart, but was interrupted by another stream of heat vision, 'persuading' me to leap away.

"Enough with your clowning around, you little human pest! I'll kill you myself!", Agrigula grumbled.

A moment later, gigantic blade-head and scythe-head appendages and sinew-like feelers sprouted from the 'walls', 'ceiling' and 'floor'! _Ah crap, not with the tendril bullshit again!_ Like mad, I dodged, jumped and kind of flew everywhere, eluding the monstrous things' strikes, utilizing the microorganisms to gash and lance at them, chopping a few of them off. Nevertheless, as I sliced one, three replaced it, making it very difficult for me to focus on the second heart. _You can't be fuckin' serious! How am I gonna wipe out that damn second core with all these eldritch shit coming after me?_

Then I heard Agrigula shriek:"Damn it, human! Stay still, so I can kill you!".

"No, you stay still, so I can take a shot, motherfucker!", I countered.

"Like hell I will! But if this is the game you play, then fine! There're many of me and only one of you, like that saying from Ermac. Eventually, I'll catch ya!".

That gave me an idea. _I have no time and energy to create another me, but I sure am still capable of forming another... Korra!_ Excitedly, I dispatched a decent amount of 'germs' forwards to a spot close to the second heart; after that, I influenced them to shape the young Avatar as I remembered: Long, black hair ( I know she rarely let her hair down, and Mike DiMartino also said that whenever the character had her hair down, "you know something bad has happened", but I really like her with long hair as we'd slept with each other before. And, hey, we all were in the middle of a war, so it counts as "something bad", right? ); dark, fair skin, pretty muscular, dressed in Water Tribe getup ( her usual clothes, with a pair of stretchy, long-sleeve fingerless glove ). Once the process finished, I 'programmed' 'Korra' to start attacking Amon-Heart II with fake bending ( my microbe manipulation, to be exact ), surprising the hell outta Agrigula.

"Huh? What trickery is this?". He gasped.

"You mean you don't know?", I said after dicing a feeler in half, giggling wickedly, "my imagination is the greatest!".

"No, you fuckin' don't!". Agrigula's voice was filled with exasperation, and fear, now.

At once, all the appendages and feelers came after 'Korra' instead of me. Not wasting this opportunity, I was back to blasting erosive fluid at the second core; and at the same time, I dispatched two spinning blades to keep the seemingly endless horde of monsters at bay, and to protect 'the Avatar'. Once the liquid ate most of Amon-Heart II away, completely revealing the smaller one. Next, I recreated the mega-plumbata, ready to fling it away.

Having realized what I intended to do, my first archenemy screamed:"No, do NOT do it!".

I ignored his plea and guided my weapon towards the puny heart. And time seemed to slow down, with all the protuberances bolting forwards to the speedily flying plumbata, failing to grasp it as their attempt was foiled by the fake Korra. Meter by meter, the projectile got ever closer to its target, while the music was still blaring.

Bones and blood lie on the ground!  
Rotten limbs lie dead!  
Decapitated bodies found!  
On my wall, your head!  
On your trail, I close the gap!  
One more life that soon won't be!  
No e-mo-tion!  
Your flesh is all I need!  
I'll send you to your maker!  
Confront the God you seek!  
A flash of red upon your chest!  
Safety out of reach!

You have no choice of life or death!  
My face, you will not see!  
I'll rip your flesh 'till there's no breath!  
Dismembered destiny!

Modulistic terror!  
A vast sadistic feast!  
There's only one way out of here.

PIECE BY PIECE!

And the second heart was pierced in two.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	39. Chapter 35

**Note: All right, everybody! This is it, the final chapter! After it, I'll post one or two parts of the Epilogue, and the hidden scenes; and then, it's the end of Book I! Whoo! This chapter contains coarse language and nightmarish stuff. I don't own the songs Bleed Me by Overkill, Angel of Death by Slayer, She Was Asking For It by Cannibal Corpse and Victoriatus by Rotting Christ. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter XXXV - First Victory**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, over Yue Bay, onboard the Airship Atmosfear.

Mako's p.o.v.

I bent fire and lightning, trying to eliminate as many of the monstrosities as I could, and, at the same time, to protect General Iroh from being devoured, while the recorded warning message sounded aloud from several speakers on the airship, flashes of red appearing and disappearing ominously, spelling out our doom if I didn't find a way to get the two of us out of this dire situation, quick. Hastily, I dodged a slash from one of the abominations attempting to severe my head with one lethal swing of the axe-hand; next, I kicked two flaming arcs and bent a fire blast towards the ones close to my would-be executioner, keeping them away and hopping to see them burn alive ( nevertheless, not for long. Because the growths speedily sucked away the flames as soon as they detected the blaze ). After that, I formed two flaming knives, coming to engage in a hand-to-hand combat with the previous one, briskly avoiding all of its fatal strikes, lashing and stabbing it to critically wound it.

However, the thing was just too stubborn to succumb to these kinds of wounds like a normal human, as expected. So, I had to do what I needed to do: Roundhouse-kicking it so as to bring it down to the floor, and discharging another fire blast to keep some of the new, oncoming horde from approaching us. Following that, I returned my attention to the horror I'd just knocked down, unhesitatingly sticking a bigger, newly fabricated flaming knife right in its right temple, while it was standing up slowly and mindlessly, successfully killing it. And then, I aimed at other horrors that I didn't eliminate yet, lightningbending two of them straight to the heart. The rest of the group was really close to me now, and another close quarters combat session occurred.

Once I dispatched them somewhat gruelingly, that was when the recorded warning message 'reminded' me that I and Iroh had about two minutes left, making me slightly panicked. _Damn it! This is not good. This is not good at all!_ After a brief struggle to regain my composure, I saw that even more of the fiends had showed up, yet they didn't move forwards. A moment later, they parted, revealing a couple of new, human-looking, skull-faced and axe-and-shield-wielding ghouls, their heads covered by some sort of chained hood. _Seriously, right now?_ After about fifteen seconds of me and the new-comers glaring at one another, I inwardly debated with myself, endeavoring to find an escape. I would NOT die, and let Iroh DIE, that day. _Alright, Mako, you've got to get yourself and General Iroh out of this. Someway. But how? Firebending and lightningbending didn't really hurt these monstrosities that much, especially when those growths help them! So what are you gonna do, Mako? You can't fight them all, yet if you focus on solely escaping, you and Iroh will die. Spirits damn it, Mako, think!_

The chain-hooded abominations began to step towards me.

 _Oh, crap! What now? What now- Wait, I've got an idea. Back then, the people had been asking Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang about their journey to meet the Dragon Masters, and the story that they retold and re-enacted for so many times concerned a blazing vortex of fire around the two, created by the Dragon themselves! Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang called it 'the Vision'. I don't know if I'm capable of doing such an advanced form of firebending, but I gotta try! It's the only way._

The recorded voice now warned that there was only one minute left.

 _Screw it, here's my exit performance, take it!_ Without hesitating, having memorized my surroundings, I spread my arms wide, in two different directions, three of my fingers, in each hand, folding, leaving the remaining pointing twos for the upcoming presentation. Next, I firebent through those fingers, making sure that the diameter covered General Iroh as well; then, I started spinning around, guiding the flames to set up the shape of a fire vortex, failed, then did it again, failed again, and did it one more time. And then, I succeeded! Next, I gave my 'creation' more juice to keep the emitted heat intense enough to not let those monstrosities get to me. As the fire got hotter and hotter, and as the voice announced that I and Iroh only got thirty seconds at that moment, my opponents began to clamor, shrieking and howling in confusion and, perhaps, anger. Proceeding to pick up and carry the now-delirious general on my back, I turned to one of the presumed window spots close to the main controls; after that, I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. _Here we go._

"Gotta scram! You guys have fun with each other!", I announced to the monsters out loud while running towards my chosen exit.

With a fierce shout, I blasted through the flaming cyclone, through the window and swiftly firebent-flew the heck away! Not long after, the Atmosfear and other Equalist airships exploded, the blasts creating powerful shock waves, knocking me and Iroh further away, disrupting my plan to use firebending to get us all to safety. _Okay, so I'm not a good planner. But this is just crazyyyyy!_ Thenceforth, we were falling fast towards Yue Bay's surface, causing me to yell, panicked, my whole life flashing before my very eyes. _Aren't killed by fire, but going to be, by water - the most obvious element of life. Spirits, I hate irony!_

Suddenly, the moment we were very near the water surface, we stopped falling, as if a great, invisible hand extended and caught us just in time. Then, I saw a massive shadow reflecting upon the surface of the water. _What in the-_ I immediately turned around to see a thin, very short-haired, circle-bearded and bespectacled man, in a strange suit holding a weird device, standing on some kind of stair from some sort of bizarre airship, which was hovering away from us for quite a distance. _Who is he? What's happening here? Is that an airship or what?_ I was so confused! I had so many questions! Yet I couldn't utter a single word. The sight of the 'airship' made me feel awed. And then, I relaxed somewhat when I and General Iroh were being slowly 'pulled' closer and closer, seeing the man's handsome face and his gentle smile. He nodded kindly once, just once, then he backed up inside the 'airship', 'carrying' his two 'guests' into the huge, floating transportation. _I hope he's as nice as he appears to be._

...

Republic City, Battle For The Pro-Bending Arena.

Azara's p.o.v.

After hearing a monstrous roar from the direction of the Pro-Bending Arena, my enemy - Sojana - ordered her 'warriors' to push forwards, desperately clashing against me and the waterbenders and metalbenders. Having realized that Sojana wanted to get to her destination as fast as possible, I doubled my efforts to eliminate the Warslaves, punching through guts, stomping on heads, smashing ribcages, ripping limbs and tearing flesh with precise aiming and total relentlessness. After that, I faced my nemesis and exchanged blows with her, trying to decisively bring her down and dodging her attacks at the same time.

Sometimes, a few of 'my' soldiers attempted to help me, water/icebending and lashing out with metal cables at Sojana, only for her to distintegrate the water and ice moves, and to either shock or straight up kill some of the metalbending police officers with her lightning manipulation, me succeeding in intervening and preventing the tragedy from happening to some, others, not so much. And to pour salt on the wound, each time I failed, that vile bitch would taunt me about the unfortunate's death, making me really really really want to murder her face! Yet, I couldn't! I had to bring her in for interrogation. That was my Father's order. So, what could I do?

While I and the waterbending and the rest of the metalbending Special Force members were battling with Sojana and her abominable subordinates, Lieutenant Yunpei and the earthbenders and firebenders were struggling with my second archenemy's pets, as they'd melted the rocks in their mouths away with corrosive bile. The lieutenant ( Yunpei, not the _late_ Lieutenant. And to answer your question, I had the ability to detect malevolent presences; therefore, I knew all about Amon killing the Lieutenant ) and his supporting troops had to dodge and dodge jump almost continuously in order to avoid the toxic blood blasts, endeavoring to hit the remaining seals with their bending, constantly reinforcing the tight fence so as not to allow the giant horrors to break free.

About three minutes later, after regrouping for another fiery round, both sides heard another roar of anger and pain from the same direction. Shortly after that, I heard Sojana's pets bellow in agony, followed by Yunpei and the soldiers' triumphant cries and Sojana's mortified exclamation; quickly, I turned around to witness the demise of two of my second archnemesis's Corpses Behemoths, their dead bodies shrinking and shrinking 'til there was nothing but two medium-sized puddles of foul blood.

Turning back to Sojana, I smirked. "It looks to me like you have failed to play your part, my dear. You should have claimed the rest of this city, instead of coming here". It was my turn to taunt her back.

"Shut up, you little cunt!", my chief opponent snarled, "I nearly got all of my fuckin' lifeforce drained by the Firstborn just so I could have those things! Blast you, and your damnable ragtag army of human filth!".

After finishing her sentence, Sojana swiftly formed a tremendously big lightning sphere in midair, directly above her. _Size over quantity, again? You never learn, do you?_ Grinning mockingly, I signaled for 'my' troops to withdraw, taking a defensive stance, ready to use my time manipulation to send the gigantic orb back to her, and to finally successfully subdue her. Next, unexpectedly, my enemy grinned too, confusing me a little. _What in the Light and Darkness's name is she grinning about? She can't possibly have one more trick up her sleeve! Or, perhaps, she's bluffing? She gotta be bluffing._

As if she could read my mind, she spoke, impersonating Bane in the Dark Knight universe:"Oh, so you think I am bluffing? I was born with brilliance. Molded to be even more brilliant! You are way older than me, that's true; but that doesn't mean you know shit about me. The brilliance betrays you, for it belongs... to me".

After that, she laughed maniacally, her lightning sphere beginning to... suck all of the Warslaves into it? Yes, it sucked those abominations into it, gradually changing its colors from flashing blue-and-white to flashing red-and-black! And the thing just looked more and more volatile and sinister than ever! _Okay. Alright. That totally wiped the grin off my face, I'll give her that. And... holy fuck!_ Immediately, I ordered the human benders:

"Everyone, take cover...!".

Following that, Sojana hurled the newly redecorated lightning sphere forwards. With speed, I utilized my time manipulation to see if I could do what I'd planned to do or not. And I only merely slowed it down. I grunted loudly, exerting myself defiantly to buy everybody more time in order for them to stay out of harm's way, and to avert our impending doom. Shortly after that, my nemesis cackled.

"Keep struggling to your heart's merriment, Azara. I still have one last trick left, all set to get back at you... for the death of Jarkin and my two new babies!".

Shortly later, from the huge globe, red-colored lightnings were generated, striking everywhere, blasting through buildings and concrete, blowing apart cars and rocks, and finally, hitting more of 'my' troops! _No!_ That small moment of distraction was all my foe needed so as to electroshock me with her 'lightningbending'. I screamed aloud in pain. However, I was not going to let her win! With all my might, I focused again on the humongous orb, stopping it just about a meter away from me, still in midair, gritting my teeth, forbidding myself to pay attention to the agony caused by the constantly produced lightning that made contact with my naked body.

As I kept 'brawling' with both of the sphere and the lightning, I felt weaker and weaker; sooner or later, I'd slip, and the soldiers would pay the price. _But... I... Must... Not! I am Azara, Daughter of Esillith the Great, the 103rd chosen Guardian! And my sole purpose in existence is to protect all innocent, living being and all realities from eradication and extinction!_

"K-keep... being... sadistic... to your heart's... merriment, Sojana", I countered my adversary's previous statement, "as long... a-as I still live, this world- will never fall into your master's hand!".

As soon as I finished talking, I used the rest of my energy to slowly 'push' the sphere back towards the direction of Agrigula's despicable second-in-command. The push-of-war subsequently got to its most intense level. Nonetheless, I sensed that I was gonna collapse at any time; I was very weak now, even though not really fatally. That was when I heard a familiar, shouting voice. It belonged to Cyborg Garrack, one of the Pramerrar! ( Valdarian for 'Chimera'. And Pramerrar is a group of Bounty Nomads [ bounty hunter nomads ], consisting of Averda, my 98th sister, and former Two Aces partner; Garrack; and Ritzaar, the 27th Exalted Prince of Valdaria - a fairly advanced planet in the 229th Reality )

"Hang on, My Lady-Guardian, I have come to help you!".

 _All right, reinforcement has arrived!_

Once Garrack landed on the ground, probably having jumped from the Pramerrar's infamous ship - the Silver Light, he used his right hand, armed with 'the Dark Hallowed' - one of the recently modified versions of the Dark Matter Gun from the Quake universe - to aim at the lightning sphere and discharged a small black hole ball forwards to his target, the ball sucking the big projectile and the lightnings into it. And then, it disappeared. Freed from Sojana's torment, I collapsed on my left hand and knees, my right hand hugging my stomach in my subconscious need to comfort myself, breathing heavily, yet relieved. Not hesitating, Garrack utilized his left hand, armed with an energy rifle, 'the Little Menace', to aim for my second nemesis and shoot her, the energy knocking her down to the ground. _Thank Goodness she's ultimately defeated._

Not long after that, the Multitude's warriors ( as opposed to Zulathulhu's forces - the Mass, or the Disease ), of various species, and from many and many realities, led by an Obstructor-class battledroid ( nothing like the Trade Federation's battledroids from Star Wars, mind you ), touched down from the warfleet in the sky and divided into two groups: Group 1 was headed for the last Corpses Behemoth with a 'Harbomitt's Jaws' ( a trap designed after the shape and mechanics of the Harbomitts - creatures that looked like the Cacodemons from Doom, except for the fact that they don't have any eye, and their teeth were sort of like a loggerhead turtle's, with a greater amount of them sharpies - used to catch big, living beings without harming them [ that's right, these contraptions didn't have 'teeth' ] ), intending to nab it for us to figure out how to disable the devastating effects of the magic-inducing toxic blood and corrosive bile; while Group 2 approached my knocked down, female enemy and securing her in no time. Helped up by Garrack, I nodded, showing him my gratitude.

I, next, sighed. "Took you long enough. And... is he okay?".

"You should take it on our dear friend the High Admiral, my lady". He chuckled. "But my apologies all the same. And... he's all fine, don't you worry".

"Well, better late than never". I simpered. "And thank the Light he's okay".

After that, suddenly becoming stoic, I strolled towards where Sojana was lying, Garrack following closely behind me. When I was near her, she started singing Overkill's Bleed Me, smiling psychotically, still desiring to taunt me.

"Bleed - me.  
Let it out slow.  
Let it suck me dry.  
Ya gotta - feed me!  
Take me down low  
where the angels fly.  
Yeah!  
Ain't nothing that I need no more.  
Like a full truckload of pain!  
All over like the final score  
with a fist full of open veins.  
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!  
Ya gotta - bleed me!

To all the people that I loved, I hated, lied.  
To all my enemies that tried.  
Bleed - me...  
Bleed - me!

Read - me  
torn out pages  
in an open book.  
Ya gotta - please me!  
one more razor now before I cook.  
Yeah!  
Getting hotter as the seconds pass.  
But I'm told that's what I need.  
Getting colder now, it's flowing fast.  
But I'm told that's why I bleed.  
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

To all the people that I loved, I hated, lied.  
To all my enemies that tried.  
Bleed - me...  
Bleed - me!

I remember sitting - in the open air.  
I remember calling out - your - name.  
I remember clearly that I - didn't care.  
I hadn't changed.  
Hadn't changed.

I need to go away!  
I need to leave you here!  
I need to face my fears!  
Face my fears!  
Face my fears!  
Face my fears!  
Face my fears!  
Face my fears!

Bleed, b-bleed, b-bleed, b-b-b-b-bleed me!  
Bleed, b-bleed, b-bleed, b-b-b-b-bleed me!  
Bleed - me.  
Bleed, b-bleed, b-bleed, b-b-b-b-bleed me!  
Bleed, b-bleed, b-bleed, b-b-b-b-bleed me!  
Bleed, b-bleed, b-bleed, b-b-b-b-bleed me!  
Bleed - me!

To all the people that I loved, I hated, lied.  
To all my enemies that tried.  
To all the people that I loved - I hated, lied!  
To all my enemies that-

Bleed - me...  
Bleed - me!  
BLEEEEED - ME!".

The moment she finished singing, I stared into her eyes harshly, remembering the seconds she'd butchered those soldiers in cold blood, internally telling myself not to end her pathetic existence right then and there. A full minute later, I resolved to punch the concrete to the right of her head with my left fist, clenching my teeth out of hate and pain. Then, I growled:

"No, I will NOT do that. I won't bleed you. But we'll bleed every information that you stored in that fucked-up mind of yours. Every secret from every nook and cranny. It'll be a long time 'til we meet again; so, consider this my parting gift".

Quickly, my lips descended upon hers, my tongue dividing them and invading her mouth. Next, all of a sudden, she held my face with her hands, then kissed me back as fiercely as possible, her tongue wrestling back with mine. Following this, she grunted and hatefully pushed me away, me standing up, hastily signaling the Multitude Warriors to not attack her.

I turned to Garrack, pointing at the Arena. "Go there. The Avatar and her friends need your help".

Without a word, Garrack motioned for some of the warriors to follow him. I turned to the rest and spoke to the Amalgapothecaries:

"Many of these people need intensive care. You know what to do".

"Right away, My Lady!", they replied in unison.

"And you, spread out and check to see if there are still Warslaves here. If you detect them, kill on sight".

Straight away, the Battle-Commanders shouted:"You heard the Lady-Guardian, let's move out!".

 _Seeing that I'd done my part, I tiredly sat down and let an apothecary tend to my wounds. Fight well, kids. All is in your hands now._

...

Republic City, outside the Pro-Bending Arena.

Korra's p.o.v.

 _Furroh, no!_

As my friend had just avoided another swing of one of the huge tendrils, Agrigula aimed for him, intending to use his right fist to crush him. Speedily dodging the other tendrils coming for me, I rushed to where Furroh was and proceeded to airbend at our opponent's massive clenched hand, slowing it down. Next, I told Furroh to jump away, and he did; after that, I dodge rolled in order not to be squashed to pulp.

Shortly later, Furroh utilized his gloves to fire several electric blasts towards Agrigula's chest. They still hardly did any damage. And then, our vile foe opened his mouth and... spat out dark purple-colored projectiles, which exploded upon contacting anything, making us dodge all the more intensely now! _Spirits, this monster sure has many tricks!_ While we were busy evading certain death, a tendril suddenly darted forwards to me and wrapped itself around my waist, picking me off the ground!

"Furroh, help!", I call out to my friend.

"Korra!".

Desperately, Simel's brother discharged another volley of electric blasts aiming at Agrigula's face, causing him to roar in pain, but not as loud as before. However, the tendril 'holding me hostage' still didn't release me, prompting me to airbend panickedly towards the gigantic monstrosity! A few seconds later, Furroh had to jump off from where he was standing to not be struck by Agrigula's fist, which was descending one more time. Following that, the tendril that was seizing me instantly tightened, causing me to scream in agony! The pain was so great that I almost lost consciousness right then and there, and my vision began to blur at the same time. _My Goodness, I-I think I... Two or three of my ribs- must be... broken._

And while I was in that predicament, I heard Furroh shout:"You bastard, let her go!". And I also heard the sound of electric blasts being let off.

Then, I heard a loud boom, Agrigula howling, the captor tendril shaking violently, moving about chaotically, me receiving more pain; nonetheless, it finally let me loose, me falling downwards to the ground. Someone, next, called my name, catching me, perhaps when I was still in midair, then landing securely onto the ground, I was not sure; nevertheless, I was safe, for now. Being able to breathe again, even only barely, my vision cleared up a bit, allowing me to see Furroh's face.

"Thanks", I whispered.

"You're welcome, Avatar", he replied, his voice a little warmer now.

Following this, he helped me stand, him putting my left arm around his neck, his right arm wrapping firmly around my upper body, his hand merely subconsciously inches away from my right armpit just so he didn't touch the right area of my ribcage ( but I really didn't care about that ), to support my weight. That was when Agrigula bellowed again, as loudly as the first time he'd done. I didn't know what was going on, but Agrigula suddenly lashed out with another bunch of projectiles, this time spike-shaped and dead gray-colored, let off from several medium-sized tendrils around his head! I and Furroh stopped dead in our tracks upon seeing so many wildly shot salvos all at once. _Is this... Is this the end?_

Abruptly, there were barrage after barrage of all kinds of projectiles, blasts, discharges and bursts coming at the enormous horror's discharges, strangely nullifying them just in time; and then the barrages were continued, now flying forwards to Agrigula himself. Briskly, I and Furroh turned around to see uncannily suited soldiers/warriors with bizarre weapons ( staffs that shot some kind of energy beams, discharging weapons attached to hands and arms, portable-and-firing balls, flying cutting discs, and so on and so forth ) advancing forwards, led by a very tall, as huge as Azara's second form, fairly well-shaped, humanoid individual in blue-and-light purple armor ( and with a... bald head? ), who had four fingers on each hand, with big legs resembling that of a possum chicken, and who quite reminded me of a much smaller, more flexible, less cumbersome and very eye-catching Machine-Tank ( maybe because it was, in fact, a machine? Of course, I was half-right, but I didn't, and still don't, know much about technology. Not like Asami anyway ).

Once the humanoid machine was about several inches from us, it spoke, its voice directing me, sounding rather echo-y and metallic:"You must be Avatar Korra. I am Garrack the Humble, World-Pioneer of Primus-Cyber, Renowned Successor of World-Pioneer Palar the Magnificent, High Representative of the Pramerrar, and General-Multi of the Multitude. It's a pleasure to finally meet you". _Huh?_

After the lengthy introduction, Garrack slightly bowed, making me and Furroh more confused than ever. Reluctantly, I responded:"Uh... how- how did I know how to pronounce your long name? And how do you know my name?".

"Oh, pardon me for still connecting with my people's deep-rooted culture". Garrack gave out a short and small, but friendly laugh. "Where I'm from, when a Cyberian meets another, they must address themself with their full titles and social statuses. The ones that I told you were just the most important of the denominations that I'm currently carrying. I know that outsiders, especially fully organic beings, are prone to, let's just say, 'severe emotion and consciousness drainage' once we Cyberians introduce ourselves. Therefore, one again, pardon me for bothering you with the formality, Avatar Korra". After all that, he bowed again. "And about how I know your name and how you knew how to pronounce mine; first, I am our Prestigious Lady-Guardian's close friend. She would never not tell me anything, except the things she _really_ doesn't want to mention. That, and the undeniable fact that your name has spread far and wide since we received news about the threat of the Great War descending upon your world, and about the Battles For The World of Benders. Everyone knows you are quite a hero. Second, we Cyberians have a progra- I mean ability, called 'the Dialect Exuder', meaning we can make outsiders understand whatever we say instead of translating languages of countless of species from over a million realities just for formality and politics. We found that task... errorfully horrific, and deadly".

I was stunned, listening to all those words. _My name's spread far and wide? Battles For The World of Benders? I am a hero? Am I... am I even awake now?_ Next to me, Furroh inquired the humanoid machine, still somewhat befuddled:"And... I guess your "Prestigious Lady-Guardian" here is... Azara?".

"Indeed, my friend". Garrack nodded. "And talk about 'friend', I didn't know your name". He extended his pretty big, four-fingered hand.

Furroh cautiously touched, and shook the hand's first two fingers. "My name's, uh, Furroh Sato, or Furroh Tamasu. But just call me Furroh".

"It's a pleasure to meet a friend of the Avatar, Brave, Young Furroh".

Following that, I decided to ask Garrack:"So... what now? I mean, I know you're here to join the fight, but-".

I was gently interrupted. "Now, Avatar Korra, you rest and let the Amalgapothecaries of the Warfleet Hamak take care of your and your friend's wounds. You have done enough. _Someone else_ will take care of Agrigula forevermore".

With that, he motioned for a group of seemingly various-specied of some type of combat medics to take us away from the battle. As the Avatar, I should have refused and continued to do my duty, which I'd promised to the citizens of Republic City, yet I was tired, and hurt, and still heart-broken because of Saudorn's death. After one look back to Garrack as we walked further and further away from the Pro-Bending Arena, I turned to Furroh.

"I'm sorry for snapping back at you, Furroh", I apologized to him for the things I'd said to him, "as the Avatar, I failed you; and as a friend, I disappointed you".

He turned to look at me. "Not when you apologize to Simel too. I already forgave you". He grinned, showing me that he just wanted to mess with me. "But my little sis might not".

"Very well, then, I'll apologize to her also. And maybe to Asami, since you guys are cousins".

Simel's brother laughed. "Oh, you're such a kidder".

...

Inside Uughigula.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

Once all of the tendrils and feelers retreated after Agrigula's second heart had been destroyed, I came to 'Korra's' side and picked her up, bringing her far away from my first archenemy's two final hearts, just to be safe. The beatings of the remaining tickers were now incredibly frantic; and there were also other sorts of peculiar, devilish and frightening sounds and shows of light, reverberating and flashing from every nook and cranny of this massive organism's body. Sounds and lights that indicated evil omen and doom to come, either to me and my 'girlfriend' or to the very gargantuan flesh all around us.

Next, the two tickers moved forwards. So, Agrigula wants to raise the stakes. _Winner takes all, loser perishes. Good, let this be his downfall._ After that, from inside the hearts, Amon's two copies, or Amon and his copy, emerged, howling and shrieking and crying and sobbing in unimaginable and everlasting agony; however, this time, both of them looked more hellish and ghastly than the last, resembling nothing more than two decaying and festering ghouls that were stuck within two humongous, alien, beating organs, their skin seeping and oozing disgusting, liquefied rot, pus and mucus from so many horrid-looking blisters and weeping sores, their stomach too deteriorated to hold back their mutated guts and innards, hanging freely from each big hole on the belly, bodily fluids dripping and leaking unceasingly. And now that I noticed through my clone's sense of smell, it smelt worse than ever, not only because of the two Amons, but also because of Agrigula's on-the-verge-of-dying tissues. _My fuckin' Gods, it smells like several thousands of freakin' skunks letting themselves go and a thousand of foul, famished Shub-Niggurath's Young devouring those poor critters in all their otherworldly 'glory' in here! Holy fuckin' Poe and Lovecraft!_

Annoyedly and grimly, I looked up to address Agrigula. "Time to finish this, Agrigula. Tag team, hardcore, Hell in A Cell match. Let's go!", I spoke aloud.

Then, a familiar voice answered me:"I believe it's 'Hardcore, Hell in A Cell, handicap match', Dad".

 _Hank?_

And true to my realization, from the shadows of the two hearts, Hank boastfully walked out, his right hand loosely holding a Falci blade-shaped scythe-saber whose extension ( from the hilt up to the end of the blade ), all pulsing and throbbing repellently, looked like Necromorph tissues! _I don't remember having any idea of giving him such a weapon! What the hell!_

"Surprise, surprise, Father!". It was Agrigula's turn to speak. "Or may I say, double surprise? What Manoward is holding, is called 'Mnavetharn Jrydiist' - a Manifesting Heritage saber, made by the Magnacese, a very ancient race of energy manipulators, who used to exist on the planet 'Magnaca' in the 1003rd Reality. Once someone touches the hilt, the energy it emits will take on the form of either their cultural heritage, purity of beliefs, manifesting persona, or solely focused imagination, the latter being 'invented' by the corrupt Magnacese entities. And as you can see, Manoward looooves the Dead Space universe, like you, so it makes sense he'd think of a Slasher's modified blade, huh?".

"Makes sense or not, your abominable reigns come to an end, here and now!", I growled.

"Yeah, enough talk", agreed Hank, "let's fight!".

And then, I and 'Korra' rushed forwards as Hank did the same, Slayer's Angel of Death, all of a sudden, was played out loud inside the spacious 'chamber', me forming a Makhaira blade ( a type of Ancient Greek sword ) from the microorganisms near me, it and Hank's scythe-saber fiercely clashing against one another, while 'Korra' was combating the two hearts, jumping to dodge deadly projectiles discharged from the Amons' eyes, mouth, hands and chest, her bending at them with the Avatar might, from my memories watching the final episodes of Book 4, which I'd given her. Whilst fighting me, moving and slashing like an aggressive Sith, Hank sang the first part of the first verse of the song:

"Auschwitz, the meaning of pain!  
The way that I want you to die!  
Slow death, immense decay!  
Showers that cleanse you of your life!".

After narrowly avoiding two strikes aiming for my head and legs, I retaliated with equal aggression, furiously swinging and brandishing the blade and using it to stab rigorously, continuing the first verse:

"Forced in!  
Like cattle  
you run!  
Stripped of  
your life's worth!  
Human mice, for the Angel of Death!  
Four hundred thousand more to die!".

Then, we both sang the chorus:

"Angel of Death!  
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead!".

Immediately, I started the second verse, still fighting, applying the Jedi's 'The Viper's Tongue', 'Creating The Void' and 'The Sand Twister' lightsaber skill, intending to deal startling damage to my opponent, all the while occasionally keeping an eye on my 'girlfriend':

"Sadistic, surgeon of demise!  
Sadist of the noblest blood!  
Destroying - without mercy  
to benefit the Aryan race!".

As I was gonna carry on with the verse, with glee, Hank violently performed the 'Restore The Balance', 'Rising Sun' and 'Falling Leaf' ( if Meelo knew this move, he'd say:"That's not what I meant with 'be the leaf'!" ) lightsaber move, respectively, snarling the rest of what I would be singing:

"Surgery, with no anesthesia!  
Feel the knife pierce you intensely!  
Inferior, no use to Mankind!  
Strapped down, screaming out to die!".

And then, our 'swords' clashed once again, each of us focusing our weight to push the other off balance.

"Angel of Death!  
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead!  
Infamous - butcher!  
Angel of Death!".

Abruptly, Hank jumped backwards, causing me to stumble forwards, me preventing myself from falling face first on the 'floor', in time, by thrusting my Makhaira saber down. When I looked up, Hank had already been in-between the two hearts. Instantly grasping what Hank, Amon-Heart III and IV were about to do, I utilized my microorganism manipulation to 'order' 'Korra' to fall back, me dodge rolling to keep away from both the hearts' projectiles and Agrigula's third-in-command's Force lightning! Seeing that this was the opportunity that I needed, I quickly fabricated Ancient Egyptian fan axes-halberds and hurled them at the two giant tickers in hope of eliminating them as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Agrigula was singing the bridge of the lyrics now.

"Pumped with fluid - inside your brain!  
Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes!  
Burning flesh - drips away!  
Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil!  
Frigid cold - cracks your limbs!  
How long can you last  
in this frozen water burial?  
Sewn together - joining heads!  
Just a matter of time  
'til you rip yourselves apart!  
Millions laid out in their  
crowded tombs!  
Sickening ways to achieve  
the Holocaust!

Seas of blood - bury life!  
Smell your death as it burns  
deep inside of you!  
Abacinate - eyes that bleed!  
Praying for the end of  
your wide-awake nightmare!  
Wings of pain - reach out for you!  
His face of death staring down!  
Your blood running cold!  
Injecting cells - dying eyes!  
Feeding on the screams of  
the mutants he's creating!  
Pathetic, harmless victims  
left to die!  
Rancid - Angel of - Death  
flying free!".

Nonetheless, Hank used his Manifesting Heritage saber to create some kind of big, thin, yet formidable layer of Necromorph biomass in order to protect the cores, the alien flesh eating and devouring all of my fan axes-halberds, getting bigger and more sinister than before. Understanding what to do then, I 'ordered' the 'Avatar' to 'firebend' at the biomass, me doing so too, remembering that fire was very effective against the monstrosities in the Dead Space games. Shortly later, the huge flesh was burned down entirely.

Next, not hesitating, the two Amons spat and blasted out torrents of eldritch blood from their mouth and chest-hole. After that, Hank, having reformed his saber blade and stabbed it onto the 'floor', put both of his arms and hands upwards, appearing to manipulate the blood with the Force, shaping the foul liquid into a vast blood sphere! _What in hell-_ Not wasting time, he projected Force lightnings from his hands forwards to the thing, making it an electric blood orb! _You gotta be fuckin' kidding._

"Now say goodbye to your pathetic life, Father, as I sing the rest of my favorite song!".

Hank, next, flung the monstrous thing at us.

"Angel of Death!  
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead!  
Infamous - butcher!  
Angel of Death!

Angel of Death...!".

Desperately in response to our new threat, I and my 'beloved' began to 'airbend', trying hard to send the huge globe back to its owners. Upon discerning our intention, Hank doubled his effort, determining to totally expunge us. Notwithstanding, we, or I, didn't want to fail, didn't want, no, couldn't afford to let them win; therefore, I used all my strength to 'help' my clone and 'Korra' direct the electric blood sphere backwards, to where it truly belonged. It was not only a battle of the body, but also the battle of the mind, of the will to survive. It was just like that quote from Leon C. Megginson:"It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change". _Agrigula and Hank intended to win. They produced that big-ass globe to bring about change, the ultimate, worse outcome of this battle, the terrible fate that they wanted to hammer onto this world. But, no, that won't happen. Change has already begun. Changed has previously affected the World of Benders. Now, it's up to me to steer it towards a better direction. A brighter future for my new home. Taste your own blood, fuckers!_

And with that, the struggle was no more. The scale finally tipped. The powerful gushes of air slowly, and then, faster and faster pushed and pushed and pushed, and pushed the big damn thing forwards to both Amon-Heart III and IV, completely wiping away their exterior, disclosing the smaller cores inside. My final targets. _Your turn to say 'ciao!', bitch!_ In spite of that, before I could even construct anything to finish off Agrigula, my archnemesis gave out a great cry of despair and fright, and then... A sudden pain shot through my back. _F-fuck, the scar!_ Straight away, I shouted out loud, and collapsed to the 'floor'.

...

"Ooh, that looks painful". While I was sprawling on the 'floor', I heard Hank jeered at me. "Thank the All-Lord my mighty Lord-Patriarch gave you such a nice kiss across the back. Now you are all helpless".

Striving zealously to look upwards, I decided to defiantly hurl an insult. "F... fuck you, you cheating, worthless f-".

Immediately, I felt a boot pushing my head, face first, back down on the fleshy 'floor', grinding my face mercilessly against the repugnant material, suffocating me greatly. And each time I attempted to reach out for Hank's ankle, or to roll out of the way, Agrigula shocked me with the pain from my scar, prompting me to groan muffledly and roughly, jolt after jolt of burning sensations weakening me further. Finally, Hank's boot got off the back of my head, enabling me to feebly raise my face up from the impression upon the surface, which'd been made because of the boot's pressure, breathing and inhaling precious ( more like abhorrently loathsome ) air, hacking and coughing violently, almost retching from contacting the alien, organic stuff with my clone's face.

After that, Hank used his boot to lift my chin up, causing me to look at him in the eyes, mine flaring with perpetual hatred for this abomination. Chuckling slightly, he said:

"You know, Dad, while you're lying here, defeated, outside, your beloved was saved by those annoying Multitude interlopers, who was attacking this fortress right now". _A Multitude warfleet is here at last? Thank the Light._ Once seeing the tiny flicker of hope in my eyes, Hank sneered. "But you should know one thing, Mr. Creator: Before arriving here, I was onboard the Airship Atmosfear, and I was fighting both General Iroh and Mako there. They fought valiantly, I must say, yet they didn't realize that because of them, I had an excuse to utilize the Atmosfear as a gigantic, floating trap. With Iroh crippled, Mako had no choice but to redouble his effort in order to save _Zuko's grandkid's_ and his own skin, all that in only five minutes. What a sweet, short period of time for such drama. But the most important thing is? You missed it entirely concentrating on bringing my Lord-Patriarch down". He sighed. "I bet they've already been cooked to a crisp, becoming once with the various flaming and molten shrapnels falling down all over Yue Bay. Kinda ironic, don't you think? Firebenders destroyed by fire, their very own element. And now, you've realized that saving one life is merely trading it for two other".

And then, there was Agrigula's cruel laugh now.

"You fuckin' ba-". Fueled by sudden rage, I endeavored to get up and wipe that smug smile off my boasting enemy's face right then and there!

Unfortunately, his boot was faster than me, it swiftly leaving my chin and moving to my left so as to connect with my left temple, making me crash down to the right, to the 'floor' again, my head throbbing ugly, my vision becoming considerably disoriented, me grunting and moaning in pain. _That-that fuckin' piece of... shit!_ Shortly later, I faintly heard Hank speak:

"Look at your... ( self ), Saudorn. ( Pathe ) tic. You couldn't even... ( be ) man enough to really... ( face ) us. You had to resort to your... dirty little trick... ( didn't ) you? Well, while you're... ( enjoy ) ing your rest, I'm gonna sacrifice that cheap copy of your... ( be ) loved to Agrigula. Betcha you'll be very exc... ( ited ), because it's tentacle porn and all".

 _No, not 'Korra', you sick fuck!_

After a short while, I heard Agrigula address me:"And before I am going to indulge in satisfying my little Avatar fantasy, let me give you another kiss. And after all this, I will annihilate that piteous Multitude warfleet and its soldiers and crews for all eternity!".

With that, another jolt of stinging, scorching agony seared through me, causing me to scream aloud, me reflexively arching my back to reduce what I felt. However, thank to that, I was less disoriented at that moment; but I was still weak. Caring too much for 'Korra', even though 'she' was just a creation of mine, I started crawling forwards to where 'she' was held now ( and in case you wonder how 'she' still existed after I'd collapsed on the 'floor', not focusing on controlling her anymore. That's because with the help of Sagrys's [ an A.I. created by Esillith to help him monitor the whole 'Linkground Nexus Gorios' - a super, mega ginormous space fortress, which was the Multitude's current central base after the destruction of Esillith's first ever planet-creation and Powerworld - Gorior; which was where I was staying at that time; and which was as big as three Blackstone Fortresses from Warhammer 40,000 universe combined! ] Holder of Merit - a power-boosting and body-and-psyche-healing machine-unit [ kinda like a lightly more spacious standing, healing tube in sci-fi flicks ], I was able to make my creations sentient to an acceptable degree. So, unlike waterbending, for example, with the water disintegrating rapidly once the waterbender is either distracted or knocked down, 'Korra' was partially independent from me ), seeing tendrils and feelers begin to wrap around her, restraining her arms and legs just like the Red Lotus had done, or will do, to her.

"Look, Father. Look". Agrigula's voiced sounded like he was goading me. "Avatar Korra, in all her glory. It's like she's asking for it, you know? Like, she's _begging_ me to ravage her".

And then, he sang Cannibal Corpse's She Was Asking For It, all the while pitilessly thrusting the tendrils inside her.

"Take me back.  
Back to the scene.  
It's coming back.  
I remember her screams.  
The fear in her eyes.  
The night she died.  
It left me empty.  
Hollow inside.

Dead to the world, I see only black, there's blood on my hands.  
Dead to the world, I see only black, the blood of the dead.

Feelings deep inside.  
I don't understand.  
Can't fall asleep at night.  
I try and wake in fright.  
Touch of her skin,  
next to mine.  
Warm and wet,  
deep inside.

Dead to the world, I see only black, there's blood on my hands.  
Dead to the world, I see only black, the blood of the dead".

As I crawled closer and closer to the scene, I was halted by Hank, who let out a current of Force lightning towards me, leading to other outbursts of painful shouts. Notwithstanding, I refused to let 'Korra' stay out of my sight.

"I wrapped my hands around her neck,  
squeezing out her breath!  
Eyes rolled back in her head,  
clawing at my skin!  
I know now it's not my fault,  
she was asking for it!

Memories  
came back to me!  
In the night,  
I hear her screams!  
Waiting  
in the grave,  
calling out!".

And I called out 'her' name. And there were more flashing of Force lightning.

" "Come to me".  
"Come to me".

"Come to me",  
I hear her screaming.  
Waiting - in the grave.  
Calling out, but she's buried.  
Waiting - in the grave.  
"Come to me",  
I hear her screaming.  
Waiting!".

 _I... I've got to reconnect with her. I... must stop this!_ Another current came for me. _Ugh! Ahhh! Ah. Korra! If- only... If only... I can... save her- Wait, I don't need to save her, she's just one of my creations! The real Korra is out there, and is safe now. I don't need to save her, I need to sacrifice her! Maybe... I can weaken Agrigula... with poison._

With resolve, I attempted, and succeeded in re-establishing the link between me and 'her', ordering 'her' to make, secret and spread a special kind of poison through her body to Agrigula's tendrils and feelers, guiding it along the flesh-vines deep into my first archenemy's mass. And because of how alien Agrigula was, the poison surely would take some time, hopefully not too long, to take effect. Meanwhile...

"I wrapped my hands around her neck,  
squeezing out her breath!  
Eyes rolled back in her head,  
Clawing at my skin!  
I know now it's not my fault,  
She was asking for it!

Memories  
came back to me!  
In the night,  
I hear her screams!  
Waiting  
in the grave,  
calling out!".

I remember her screams,  
the night she died!  
I left her empty,  
hollow inside!

Dead to the world, I see only black, there's blood on my hands.  
Dead to the world, I see only black, the blood of the dead-".

When Agrigula almost finished the final sentence, all of a sudden, he shrieked and shrilled and bellowed and howled in extreme distress, sidetracking Hank, causing him to stop 'lightningbending' me. That moment was all I needed to form a big javelin, aiming it at my archnemesis's third-in-command and throwing it at him, spearing through him and flinging him far away. Next, I moderately caught a falling 'Avatar' as Agrigula's tendrils let go of 'her' with my microorganism manipulation. Then, creating my previous 'root beer', I splashing it against the two hearts, letting the liquid eat away the exterior, revealing the cores once again. And surprisingly, the last core, once exposed, turned back to the shape of a full-body Amon, still as hideous as his copies.

With almost everything being clear now, I morphed 'Korra' into a facehugger-like chemical and biological bomb, subconsciously freezing an attacking Hank, who'd intended to take me by surprise. After that, I inquired Agrigula with a loud voice:

"Do you have anything left to say?".

"You think... you have won, Father. But you're... wrong. Death... is only the beginning", he replied cryptically, yet bitterly.

"Every beginning has an end, son. Don't get your hope up". I sneered.

Two seconds later, I tossed the 'facehugger' towards the third core, it swiftly fastening itself around the small sphere five seconds later; and at that same time, I fabricated a very big hand, directing it forwards to Amon and snatching him away from where he'd been suspended. After that, I caused an immense explosion to take out the third heart, making Agrigula cry out again. As soon as I placed Amon down on the 'floor', I turned to Hank, preparing to fight him as he'd somehow gotten out of his 'frozen' state, briefly noticing the huge flesh's fast deteriorating and caving in process in our environs. But he didn't take on a fighting stance.

"It's been a pleasure dueling with you, Saudorn. I'm sure we'll meet again". He spoke in an amused tone. Then, his voice completely changed, unexpectedly chilling, uncaring and remorseless. "And it's been a deep disappointment serving under you, Agrigula. The All-Lord will be very very let down when he knows that you just couldn't secure this puny world, which was insofar as delivered on a silver platter". Agrigula stayed silent. "You don't deserve to be of use to his ever-expanding empire. Perish".

When he finished, he disappeared, just like that. Scoffing, I walked to Amon/Noatak and knelt down next to him, my right hand assembling a sizable hunting knife, holding it up, ready to release him from his aggrieved torment.

"Afore that", the former leader of the Equalist croaked, "I want to know... if my brother is still alright...".

"He is...", I responded calmly, "... in the afterlife. And remember that I did clean up the mess".

"Very well, then". He closed his eyes.

As the knife descended, I played Rotting Christ's Victoriatus in my mind, stepping a couple of steps backwards once the blade hit home, to the hilt. Following that, I made the knife introduce and spread fire all over Amon/Noatak's ghoulish cadaver, burning it so that it wouldn't regenerate or come back to life or whatever, the song in my mind becoming louder and louder until it was the only sound I heard.

 _Like the ocean that roars...  
_ _Everything I - have - done!  
_ _Echoes in my ears...  
_ _But can never - be - undone!_

 _The battle has offered  
_ _the passion and the heat!  
_ _I cannot be denied  
_ _triumph or admit defeat!_

 _I remember now  
_ _vigorous - I had been!  
_ _Really cruel but somehow  
_ _so glorious no man's ever seen!_

 _May we be  
_ _the first to know,  
_ _the first to see,  
_ _the glory to bow.  
_ _What else could it be?  
_ _The victory I foresaw!  
_ _May we be  
_ _the first to know,  
_ _the first to see,  
_ _the glory to bow.  
_ _What else could it be?  
_ _The victory I foresaw!_

 _I honor the past!  
_ _I carry the future!  
_ _I'll make it last!  
_ _I live up to our - cul-ture!_

 _In memory of those  
_ _who've crossed my path!  
_ _I keep them close  
_ _in times of death!_

 _May we be  
_ _the first to know,  
_ _the first to see,  
_ _the glory to bow.  
_ _What else could it be?  
_ _The victory I foresaw!  
_ _May we be  
_ _the first to know,  
_ _the first to see,  
_ _the glory to bow.  
_ _What else could it be?  
_ _The victory I foresaw!_

 _The battle has offered  
_ _the passion and the heat.  
_ _I can not be denied - triumph or admit defeat._

 _I remember now - vigorous I had been.  
_ _Really cruel but somehow  
_ _so glorious no man's ever seen!_

And once the song ended, there was only blackness, and silence...

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	40. Epilogue I

**Note: I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Epilogue I**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, outside the Pro-Bending Arena, right after Uughigula's death throes.

Narrator's p.o.v.

"Quickly, the water must be decontaminated before the monstrosity's carcass befouls it further and unbalances the bay's, and then the ocean's, ecosystem! Team 1, to the depths and retrieve the body! Team 2, head to the bay's opening and seal off the exit! Team 3, secure the perimeter! Team 4, begin Surface Decontaminating Process, now!", Garrack shouted orders to the 1st Multitude Decontamination Platoon, urging them to perform their duties as fast as possible.

Just like any other previous decontaminating process on formerly captured worlds in a few of the recently liberated realities, this one was very dangerous; even though it was less endearing than the others thank to the fact that Republic City was not seized for a long period of time, and the entire World of Benders was _not_ overrun by the hordes of horrific, cosmic diseases, like some, which'd made the Process extremely high-risk and arduous; due to the actuality of the water being polluted by none other than Uughigula itself.

Garrack began to monitor the teams' actions through his cyber-eyes right after they went on with what they had to do, envying the 2nd Decontamination Platoon, which was supervised by Warlock from the X-Men TAS universe, in Marvel universe, for they'd got to cleanse Air Temple Island of wantonly butchered human bodies. It was not a pleasant task, of course, but compared to this, it was a Beginner-class Decontaminator's dream. Naturally, Garrack was a cyborg, no longer a total Native Cyberian, so he wasn't afraid of staying so close to the contaminated site; yet, as the supervisor of the 1st Platoon, his obligation was to NOT let any of the platoon member either get into serious trouble on duty, or make one _single_ mistake during this habitually occurrent ( as a Decontaminator, and also a soldier, the profession was the life as well, since the moment the 20th Great War had begun ), so-called 'the Aftermath Operation'. While Garrack was the General-Multi of the Multitude, a very high rank in this alliance of forces of the balance, he was also the ruler of Primus-Cyber, having been reigning for a hundred and twenty human years on that world ( a very short time compared to other World-Pioneers' reigns ), upon whom the Cyberians reposed their confidence.

 _If I can't prevent one or more outsiders' lives under my command from perishing whilst doing what they were trained to do, how am I even able to gain the trust of my own people, let alone to live up to the name of my predecessors? Perfection is but a false promise to a mortal dreamer, and jealousy is the way of the weak. But isn't perfection something worthy enough to strive for? And doesn't jealousy sometimes lead to ambition? Yes, to those who live, and rule, on Primus-Cyber, perfection is the only way. The ultimate destination. Calculated and precise. Logical and flawless. No room for mistakes. Jealousy is a mistake, but it's also an agent of truth. If I am not weak, I can't be strong. If I am not imperfect, I will never be exemplary. The Natives uphold it, the Machines prolong it, and so, I, Garrack the Humble, shall follow the Cyberian Course 'til I am completely obsolete. This I swear._ He thought.

Next, he started suggesting and discussing procedural methods with the team leaders, occasionally reporting back and updating information to Commanding Admiral Heth Hamak, another close friend of Azara, who was staying aboard the 'Mother Sky's Pride' - a long, gigantic, hull-covered-with-white-spire spikes, with green paint on one side and multiple colors on the other, this one in the shape of a ring galaxy, Ripstar-class Warark - which was the lead battleship of the Warfleet Hamak. Meanwhile, the stormy clouds in the sky were still gathering, as if foreboding either a terrible, malicious approaching of an unspeakable thing, or a malevolent, shocking event to come.

...

Republic City, inside the Major Field Infirmary, assembled by the Amalgapothecaries.

Narrator's p.o.v.

"Is he... gonna be okay?", Korra timidly asked Ulrik the Slayer, Wolf High Priest ( Space Wolves version of a Space Marine Apothecary ) of the 'Space Wolves' Space Marine Chapter from Warhammer 40,000 universe, and Master Amalgapothecary of the Warfleet Hamak, still awed and somewhat frightened by his presence since the first time she'd seen him, which was a while ago, all eight feet tall ( a typical Space Marine is over seven feet tall. However, Ulrik was exceptionally tall, and because he was wearing the Artificer Power Armor, which made him look even taller and more terrifying than ever ), grim and fierce ( when Korra first looked him in the eyes, she felt a chill crawl up her spine. It was like looking at the face of the Giant Wolf from the Spirit World that Tenzin used to tell her through Aang's Spirit World stories, which the previous Avatar had told his favorite son on multiple occasions ).

With a low, yet still thunderous voice, the Slayer replied, all the while filling General Iroh's stats and conditions in some kind of information machine, using its weird, technological interface, which Korra found hard to understand:"He will be fine. The Manifesting Heritage saber that Manoward 'gave' him, according to the boy Mako, of course, sucked most, not all, of his lifeforce. That, and the fact that he is apparently a warrior, both outwardly and inwardly, results in his survival". Ulrik, then, turned to the young Avatar. "Now it's just a matter of monitoring him to follow his recovery progress, AND to catch the _resurgent taint_ , if still exists, inside him before it finishes him off. And this is important, young Avatar, he will NOT be moved until I say he can be, no matter what any other problem is, except when we are under attack. If you want him to recover fast, no one is to disturb him, and you should do well to remember that. Am I understood?".

Upon hearing that Iroh had pulled through the danger to his very life, Korra breathed a sigh of relief. After that, she nodded. "I understand, Master Ulrik. As the Avatar, I will make sure that no unnecessary outside influence will reach him".

"Good. You can go now. The Lady-Guardian is awaiting you" was the Slayer's final response. Seeing that she was dismissed, Korra haltingly bowed and exited the Chamber of Intensive Monitoring. Even though she didn't like the way she'd been talked to, Korra saw no hole in Ulrik's logic: General Iroh was no longer in peril, but he was now still weak, and needed rest, just like many other wounded United Forces soldiers and metalbending police officers. The people, and especially the future government, now that Tenzin was the only United Republic Council member, might be wanting the Field Infirmaries to be removed, and the wounded to be carried to the hospital in order for the process of building and road reconstruction to begin, according to Furroh's thinking. Therefore, there could be conflict of interests between the Multitude and the new government. No one knew for sure. It all could get better, though, if Korra herself somehow was able to manage the situation without letting it go out of hand; and talk about 'out of hand', the buried memory of the time when she'd challenged Amon to a duel and was confronted by him resurfaced, making her shiver dreadfully; yet being careful was the best path to go from now on, as Furroh had said.

While Korra was proceeding towards the Examination Chamber, where Azara was being examined for the second time to find out if she had internal bleeding or not, and where her friends was going through the same thing as well, she reminisced the past thirty-five minutes of reuniting with Azara and Lieutenant Yunpei once again, embracing the older 'woman', glad that it would be all over soon, talking to her about her final encounter with Amon, how she'd lost her bendings, only to unlock airbending ( with Azara explaining that because of the Ghasar Crystal nullifying [ and dematerializing in the process ] the dark aspects within Amon's powers, given by Agrigula just so Korra was going to be stripped of her Avatar abilities entirely, something the female Guardian had suspected the latter would do. Thus, Korra finally could clear away the blocking of her airbending through her will to survive. Also, Azara explicated about the forces of the balance, named 'the Multitude', for Korra so that she wouldn't be confused about her new surroundings ), how she'd faced Agrigula and failed her new-found friend, Furroh, even though Furroh forgave her already ( but Korra reckoned that he did it because she was the Avatar, and that he didn't really let go of her calling him selfish ); of gazing in awe at the otherworldly, flying airship that landed a distance away from the Field Infirmaries whilst being treated for her broken ribs; of being very worried as Mako and the crew of the air transportation, whose name she later learned as the 'Normandy SR-3', from the ship captain, Commander Shepard, hastily moved a stretchered Iroh towards and inside the Major Field Infirmary, the young Avatar herself and Furroh running alongside the group of people and beings ( and when she was at the entrance's threshold, she heard a loud roar from afar, wondering if Garrack had dealt with Agrigula or not ) until they reached, and was prevented from entering the Treatment Chamber, her mind racing with emotions; of asking Mako about what'd happened to Iroh, her, Furroh and Azara hearing the wild tale of Iroh and Mako's encounter with Manoward, her being amazed and shocked at the same time; and of nearly breaking down again when Mako questioned her about where Saudorn was, her instantly receiving 'condolences' ( some of Shepard's team member knew that Saudorn was still alive, as they had attended the meeting some World of Benders' days ago and listened to Azara's plan once more ) from the Normandy's captain and her team.

Once Iroh's mobile bed was pushed through the doorway, after the chamber's strange, sliding-up hatch-door had opened, by none other than Ulrik himself, who was briefly acquainted with Korra and Furroh by Azara, the female Avatar stared at the unconscious United Forces general, preparing herself for the worst. After being advised by the other Apothecaries to wait a bit longer until Ulrik had Iroh hooked up with medical apparatus to stabilize his current condition in the Chamber of Intensive Monitoring, Korra and Simel's brother were properly introduced to the ship captain and her team by Mako - Liara T'soni and EDI ( via a portable hologram ) - the ship's 'essence' - from Mass Effect universe, Gordon Freeman from Half-Life universe, Mira Han from Starcraft universe, Ulrik ( already made known ), Ellie Langford from Dead Space universe, Plo Koon from Star Wars universe, Kabal from Mortal Kombat universe, Spawn from Spawn universe and Dr. Fate from DC universe; and once again, the young Avatar was in awe before Azara's reinforcement. As Korra was talking to Commander Shepard and her new gang, Azara entered the Treatment Chamber to talk to the Slayer. When the Lady-Guardian exited the room, and when Korra was summoned, Azara told Furroh and Mako to wait and get examined and diagnosed in the Examination Chamber, the rest was just some short, small talks between the Southern Water Tribe Avatar and Ulrik, and history.

The moment Korra's mind returned to reality, she was standing near the entranceway of the Examination Chamber. Breathing to collect herself, she walked through the door-hatch and saw Azara, still in her second form, sitting on a big bed, talking to everybody; who was being scrutinized by two alien, half-humanoid, half-horse beings ( there were two other near Furroh and Mako ) with a set of funny-looking almond-shaped eyes, without mouth and facial hair, with two seven-fingered hands and with a scythe-like blade naturally attached to a whip-like tail; her long, jet-black hair was tied up in a bun, showing off her big, red-skinned, defiant and attractive breasts, which'd made both Mako and Furroh quite uncomfortable, while Shepard, Mira Han and Ellie ( after the Great War had happened, the timelines in many realities, including Dead Space, were all messed up, some not-so-badly, some badly, and some severely. Therefore, the events in Dead Space 3 were a bit... muddled. But to simplify it for you, readers, let's just say Ellie's breasts were not, uhm, 'enhanced' ) pretty jealous. And Korra? She was... kinda embarrassed. She liked guys ( or a guy, obviously Saudorn ), but she would be lying if she said she wanted to stop looking at Azara's breasts, alone, needless to say. Nevertheless, she was not alone, so she decided to averted her gaze, immediately meeting Kabal's, earning a shrug from him.

"Ah, Korra, you're back, as I expected". Azara's voice slightly startled the young Avatar. "Let me begin, by apologizing for Ulrik's demeanor. As you knew, he is a Space Wolf, and a Space Wolf's NEVER aware of being warm and welcome. Nonetheless, Ulrik knows his place, and his duty, for he has been talked to by his Primarch - Lord Leman Russ".

"I understand", Korra replied with a straightforward manner, "Master Ulrik can make Fire Lord Ozai pale in comparison, yet he is not a man without wisdom, and care. He spoke of the secured status of General Iroh and warned me about the disagreements that might occur between the Multitude and the future government, thank to Furroh's words while we were all waiting outside Iroh's room, that I was able to make that connection; and so, I know what I must do to disallow such predicament from happening". Then, she smiled sheepishly. "And you don't need to apologize, Azara. You did nothing wrong".

"I am glad that the Avatar I've heard so much about is indeed living up to her tales of heroism", Dr. Fate spoke up while floating in midair, "and now, wisdom". Next, he turned to Azara. "I can see clearly at this moment why your successor- no, former successor, loved her so much. It's just like Inza and me".

"Worry not, my friend". Azara smiled. "You will be reunited with your wife soon, after we settle the outcomes of the battles here. And may I remind you that Inza has totally earned the privilege of being a leader with her skills and determination, and no longer needs to be your assistant?".

Dr. Fate bowed straight away. "My apologies, My Lady. It's just that I love her very much and... was used to staying by her side".

"Apologies accepted". The female Guardian nodded. Then, she returned her attention to Korra. "For your interest, Korra, I must let you know, that Agrigula... is no more. Garrack has taken care of him once and for all".

And the young Avatar's heart was warmed by the news. _Oh, Saudorn, you are finally avenged._ She spoke to her boyfriend inwardly. She felt like she was gonna cry again; this time, her tears would be that of release.

"Thank you, Azara. That means a lot to me".

"My pleasure, Avatar Korra", the Lady-Guardian smiled again. After watching Korra rush to where Furroh and Mako were, and embrace them, she addressed her first assemblage of reinforcement:"Now, everyone, time for some reports. Commander Shepard".

"Right away, My Lady". Shepard gave Azara a quick nod, stepping forwards. "After a long and difficult campaign, we have helped the 'Iron Guard' Imperial Guard Regiment liberate their home world 'Mordian', and assisted the 'Raven Guard' Space Marine Chapter to eliminate a part of the enemy's blockage around Terra. It is Tarsis Ultra. And with the Tharians ( a tall, humanoid, skinny race of aliens with pterosaur-like wings, no head, two long legs and charcoal-colored skin, who possess incredible anti-cold technology, thank to the discovery of their own immunity to cold, as Tarsis Ultra had been, then, an Imperial Dead World, both ravaged by countless of battles between the 'Ultramarines' Space Marine Chapter and the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan and the 'Iron Warriors' Space Marine Chapter-that-would-soon-turn-to-Chaos's biological weapon known as the Heraclitus Virus, released into Tarsis Ultra's Tyranid-altered biosphere to purge that planet forever; after that, Zulathulhu's forces utilized that planet as the third part of their stoppage, disconnecting Terra from outside support, planning to destroy the Imperium of Man for good ) joining us shortly later, Tarsis Ultra will be a habitable world one more time for future campaigns.

And right before we met with Warfleet Hamak, EDI has caught an interdimensional S.O.S. message from Kullarmo Prime, in the 555th Reality. Thel 'Vadam's and the Chief's forces there were surprised by a fairly huge horde from the Legion of The Damned, believed to be led by none other than the cunning Purgatori herself. Of course, we hurried our asses and helped Thel 'Vadam and the Chief to fend off Purgatori's 'Eldritch Mass'. However, we failed to pursue and capture Purgatori before she escaped; also, Kullarmo Prime had many casualties and received great damage. The Chief and I have requested immediate support, yet we were not sure how long they'd arrive and whether or not Purgatori would try for a second assault. We need your words in this matter, My Lady".

Upon listening to Shepard's report, and upon hearing Purgatori's name, Azara suddenly felt frustrated and worried. Of all the opponents that she had clashed against, except Sojana, Purgatori was more than a force of nature: Powerful, as cunning as Sojana, excellent in leadership ( second to Phoborth - the Lord-Patriarch of The Legion of The Damned - only ) and as cruel as either Malebolgia from Spawn universe or Diablo from Diablo universe. Needless to say, although Purgatori was not as formidable as the female Guardian's former husband and most bitter enemy - Endul the Corrupted, previously known as Endul the Fair, or Endul of Bozarul ( a reality in which he'd reigned as its supreme ruler ) - if one underestimated her, one'd die distressingly. Azara had been trying to capture her for quite a time; notwithstanding, the demoness usually wriggled out of her hand, again and again, like a damnably slimy, slippery worm. After thinking to herself for a short while, Azara spoke:

"This news is unsettling. Very unsettling, indeed". Right after that, she sighed, turning to Korra once again. "I'd love to stay and help you more, Korra, but I guess I have to go away for a long time. Nonetheless, be assured that my reinforcement will garrison here to help you, and this world, in any way they can". To Shepard. "And Commander Shepard, I think I'll rearrange your team once more. I'm going to take Spawn and Ulrik with me, escort Sojana to the Inquisition, and head to Kullarmo Prime straightaway, if that is alright with you".

"Certainly, My Lady". Shepard bowed lightly.

"Very good". Azara nodded shortly, respectedly dismissing the Normandy's captain. And then, her gaze turned to Dr. Fate. "Next, Dr. Fate, please tell me about Mr. Freeman's and your progress on tracking down the High Priest Cthulhu".

Dr. Fate and Gordon Freeman deliberately floated and walked forwards. "My Lady. As you knew, last time, I and Mr. Freeman have detected High Priest Cthulhu near the H'rorgass ( pronounced 'h-rô-gash' ) Sea ( a sea in space. Similar to the 'Sargaseous Sea' in Futurama universe ) in the Elemental Reality ( 322nd Reality ). Nevertheless, Ventress and Samus's team lost him while searching in the depths of that place. A few days later, we saw the signal again, behind Teredarn VIII ( a desertic, unhabitable planet ), in the 111th Reality; the team was sent there at once, and were almost decimated if Samus didn't distract the Creature to buy their time to fall back. Then, a month later, which was two days ago, we found him again, in the 44th Reality-".

"Chzo's old realm?". Azara was puzzled. "What was he doing there?".

"I don't know, My Lady". Dr. Fate shook his head. "But if you allow me, my guess is... he's looking for something".

"Could he be looking for a way to re-enter Kadath, you know, since the Invasion severed the link to the Dream-World?", suggested Spawn.

"Possibly", conceded Dr. Fate, "however, that doesn't narrow it down one bit. What does he want from Kadath? Or should it be 'whom does he want from Kadath?' ?".

Liara wondered aloud:"I know it's probably untrue, yet the possibility is that our High Priest might be seeking for, uhm, the Terror Mask in order to revive 'the Hellish Chaos' and open a path to _that_ _place_?".

That was when everybody seemed to freeze. There was silence all around. Even the 'horsepeople' stopped what they were doing. The three teenagers in the room were mightily confused. _What's it about this 'place' that causes everyone to look like they're... afraid?_ Korra wondered. A full minute later, EDI voice shrilled:

"Liara, not only that's untrue, that's preposterously illogical! The people from Saudorn's Earth found a gateway to that _world_ via a 'video game', doesn't mean it exists! Furthermore, it even has a LOT of names way before, like a myth, a legend. There's no way, and I mean NO WAY, it IS. You know what I'm say-".

Before EDI could finish her sentence, a Multitude trooper moved into the room and said:"My Lady, Councilman Tenzin, Chief Beifong and others are outside the perimeter now, and they want to speak to Avatar Korra. Should we let them in?".

"Arrange a place on the Main Dock for them. Tell them the Avatar will be there shortly", Azara ordered him. Following that, she addressed Korra, standing up:"Seems like it's time for you to go. And don't worry, with the Andalites' medical skills, your wounds are not a thing to be concerned about".

Korra slowly moved forwards to the female Guardian and embraced her again. "Thanks for being so kind to me and Saudorn. I am forever in your debt".

The older 'woman' chuckled. "Don't say that. I don't deal with debts. Moreover, we're friends, aren't we? Now off you go".

Following this, Azara signaled for Furroh and Mako to help Korra outside, them three being escorted by the earlier Multitude trooper. As she was being assisted to the Major Infirmary's entrance, she looked back to Iroh's resting room, silently wishing him a speedy recovery. _Lord Zuko and Fire Lord Izumi will be so upset upon seeing him with all kinds of tubes. Spirits._

...

Republic City, Main Dock, about five minutes later.

Narrator's p.o.v.

Once the trio arrived at the Main Dock via a small Multitude frigate shuttle, they were instantly reunited with Tenzin, Chief Beifong, Pema, Asami, Bolin, Anyu, Simel, Tanna and the airbending kids. After telling everyone about Saudorn's death with a heavy heart, Korra was addressed by Lin.

"I can't believe Saudorn's... gone", the Chief spoke with grief, "and Amon got you too".

"Yeah, man, I mean", Bolin said after Lin, "Saudorn was like a badass, pardon my language, everyone. He was awesome! But I'm glad he died saving your life. That's what a true hero does".

Anyu spoke mirthlessly, embracing the Avatar:"A true hero, indeed. I wish your parents knew about him sooner; he should have been a part of the Water Tribe, as Avatar Aang was once considered that as well".

Korra, having returned her new friend's embrace, replied with a small, sad smile:"Me too. My dad may be a bit strict when it comes to the boyfriend stuff, but I'm sure he'd get along with Saudorn very well".

Intending to assuage his Avatar friend, Bolin innocently let Korra know:"Hey, at least you unlocked your airbending".

Then, he smiled sheepishly as Lin turned to give him a serious glare.

"Bro, not the time". Mako was quite annoyed by his brother's immaturity.

"I agree", Anyu addressed her boyfriend. Next, she pulled his right earlobe slightly, yet firmly, causing him to shriek a little. "And this'll cure your goofiness at inappropriate times".

Following that, everybody saw a United Forces ship, all surrounded by some kind of a protective force field, arriving from the distance. Tenzin turned to Korra.

"You and Saudorn saved Republic City", he said.

"But I couldn't save Saudorn, and Amon". Korra felt guilty. "I mean, I want Amon to survive and stand trial for what he did".

Tenzin only silently reached over to place his hand on Korra's shoulder, and she grabbed onto his. The ship, then, started getting closer.

Upon seeing someone she recognized, Ikki shouted:"Yay! Uncle Bumi's here!".

Bumi immediately howled energetically to the max. "Waaaaaaahoooooooooo!". He, next, clapped.

The only councilman sighed. "Great, now I have to entertain my brother".

Coming to stand next to Tenzin, Furroh spoke amusedly:"Now I know why General Iroh said that Commander Bumi is "a bit of a wild man" ".

Tenzin sighed again. "You have no idea".

...

Republic City, above Fishmaw Dock ( a port near the Main Dock, lying in the Fishmaw Firth - a small arm of Yue Bay jutting into Koi Fish Head Peninsula, upon which situated many of Republic City important landmarks, such as: the Police Headquarters, City Hall and the Pro-Bending Arena, etc... ), roughly an hour and a half later.

Narrator's p.o.v.

After listening to all of the reports from Commander Shepard and her team and Garrack, after dismissing them and after going through a 'telecapsule' from inside the Main Field Infirmary to onboard the Warark, Azara ( now in human form and wearing clothes ) went to talk with Heth Hamak, one of the biggest Hork-Bajir the female Guardian had ever seen. Standing at nearly eight feet tall, naked, save for a long, thick and dark bark loincloth from Harkarn ( the Hork-Bajir Homeworld ) to hide his huge genitals, with a snake-like neck with a sharp beak at the end of his head, three claw-tipped fingers and a thumb on each hand, tyrannosaurus-like feet, his body naturally armed with huge, long blades at the elbows, wrists, feet, legs, head, and tail, Heth Hamak was considered by Azara herself as "the greatest Hork-Bajir warrior ever since the times of Jara Hamee and his grandfather before him - Dak Hamee", and "one of the fiercest, and deadliest, hand-to-hand strikers in all of realities" right after they'd had a sparring match back in the Linkground Nexus Gorios - Esillith's space fortress. After being chosen by Njiry ( pronounced 'N-jee-ry' ) - Esillith's 309th son, and Tech-Centusth ( commander of technology ) of the Gorios - as one of his companions on a very delicate political mission, in the 208th Reality, way before this Great War, Heth Hamak proved to be a very reliable individual, who single-handedly wipe out a bunch of Famishese mercenaries ( formless lifeforce feeders ) that intended to assassinate the Tech-Centusth, slowly becoming one of the most prominent figures in the cosmic order, rising through the Multitude's ranks upon achieving substantial and honorable feats ( such as successfully helping Shepard and the New Council ( formerly known as 'the Citadel Council' ) evacuate from the Citadel following Zulathulhu's hordes' heavy assault on it, in Mass Effect universe; and fending off an enormous amount of the Legion of Death aiming to annihilate the Shi'ar Empire, attacking their "Throneworld" Chandilar mercilessly, in Marvel universe; etc... ) since the beginning of the War, to the point of becoming a Commanding Admiral ( one of the most significant ranks in the Multitude, surpassing even General-Multi and General-Omni, with this title being equal to Great Farer, Lord Overseer, Sovereign-Elder, Lord/Lady-Guardian and The Peerless One [ Esillith ] ), leading four battlefleets ( each consist of over four thousand space vessels and cosmic beings of all shapes, sizes and purposes ) of choice and ten accompanying warflotines ( each consist of over three hundred space vessels ) of his newly formed Warfleet ( even when using a small part of a battlefleet, like in this case, the small armada would still be addressed as a 'warfleet' so as to boost the morale of the troops and crews, and also to spare lesser cultures from the actual vast, cosmic nature of the Multitude forces ) Hamak, to engage in countless of fericious, brutal and major space battles with a tremendously impressive record.

Once they were done with sharing a friendly hug, a laugh ( a Hork-Bajir laugh would make a steel-minded human soldier wet themself, be it of mirth or dry humor ) and a moment of silence for Saudorn, Azara began to tell him the tales of her fighting days in the World of Benders, and then, requested to take ten Imperium's Imperial Navy Retribution-class battleships, three 'Grey Knights' Space Marine Chapter Battle Barges, two Protoss Motherships and a Fiendish Spine ( an undead space worm/Bacteriophage, as long as the distance from Earth to Mars. One of the earliest cosmic species in all realities, originating from the 4th Reality. Very friendly, but easily annoyed; and when annoyed, anything near it [ including a sun ] is doomed to be smashed/crushed out of existence with its tail/head or devoured, hence the word 'Fiendish' in its name ) from the Commanding Admiral's small armada so as to go and support Arbiter and Master Chief on Kullarmo Prime, for they had been attacked by Purgatori. Upon hearing the name of the Vampire Empress, Heth Hamak spotted a look of grim concern on his face. A full minute of tinkering later, the Commanding Admiral himself proposed that Azara would need help from the Sentry from Marvel universe and from Lady Death from Chaos universe as well ( according to the fact that Purgatori had been, and was still, Lady Death's archenemy ), even though the female Guardian had chosen Ulrik and Spawn to accompany her to the 555th Reality, simply because Phoborth entrusted Purgatori with 43% of the ever-increasing Legion of The Damned, and there was no telling what sort of abominations the Vampire Empress would unleash against her chosen preys, especially after her first failure ever.

Nodding in agreement, Azara accepted Heth Hamak's proposal. Then, she told him to have the Mother Sky's Pride 'land' ( actually float, because all Wararks have an anti-gravity 'landing gear' made of the Ghasar Crystal, making it easier to avoid crushing lesser civilizations' structures upon parking, for the Wararks are made of Superium - the second most indestructible material in existence, and to save fuel, just as these _massive_ war/commandships consumed a great amount of fuel only to take off ) near the Main Dock to greet the Avatar and the others. The moment the gargantuan 'airship' ( obviously bigger than the Normandy-SR 3 ) 'touched down', and the moment some of the people onboard it exited, Korra was in awe, again, at the Multitude's display of power and significance, even though she felt quite awkward, and terrified, staring at an almost naked humanoid lizard, who was nearly covered with long, big, gleaming blades of death everywhere, confidently striding towards her. The instant the creature stood before her, Korra felt absolutely dwarfed due to its height, size and long neck. Next to, or in front of, Saudorn and Azara, she could feel safe, and desired; however, with this lizard-man, she looked like a breathing, living toy rather than a real human.

"Avatar Korra, this is Commanding Admiral Heth Hamak of the Warfleet Hamak, one of the greatest Cosmic Faring _Djorr_ ( means 'armadas', but in a much great, greater scale ) of all time, and one of the greatest warriors and commanding admirals, ever", Azara started introducing, "next to him here is Ship's Master Verth, a Valdarian - responsible for stellar navigation and log keeping, Weapon Seer Athanwe Illunivar, an Eldar - responsible for the maintenance and performance of the warship's weapons, Armscommander Jull, a Calashese - responsible for close action in naval combat, Archnavigator Roghar, a Twi'lek - responsible for charting a passage through the Warp and bringing the starship through unharmed, and High Astropath Eng Vah-Leng - responsible for ensuring that the warship's Astropathic Voices are able to maintain fitting long-range communications. Also, she was the one responsible for telling me that you were captured by Sojana". Eng Vah-Leng nodded amicably at the young Avatar. "Commanding Admiral, this is Avatar Korra of the World of Bender; Master Tenzin, one of Avatar Aang's children, and Korra's airbending and spiritual master; Pema, Tenzin's wife, and the mother of these here future airbending children; Chief Lin Beifong, daughter of Toph Beifong, Republic City's Chief of Police; and here are Avatar Korra's friends".

When the introduction was finished, the two sides began to shake hands. Following that, Heth Hamak spoke to Korra:

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Avatar Korra. I have heard tales of your bravery for quite a while, and I must say: You are, indeed, living up to them".

"I... I don't think I am truly doing that", the young Avatar stuttered, "I mean... I have made so many mistakes, including letting fear control me. I don't know if I even deserve praises from these... tales".

"Nonsense. You deserve each and every one of them". Heth Hamak disagreed strongly. "Mistakes and fear are parts of every living being, even someone as powerful as the Guardian". He turned to Azara. "It's the way you live, and fight, in the end, Avatar Korra, that counts. You are an inspiration to every occupied reality out there, struggling and waiting to be freed. You are still young; therefore, you have very many chances to learn, and perfect yourself. Nonetheless, Avatar Korra, this is my advice: Whenever there is an opportunity to do good, don't hesitate to do it. You don't want to regret it, trust me. Also, my condolences to your loss. I... have met and talked with Saudorn before, and he was a really wonderful human".

"Thank- Thank you for your kind words...". Korra was touched by what the Commanding Admiral had said.

"You're welcome, Avatar Korra". Heth Hamak bowed ceremoniously.

Next, Azara faced Korra. "Now I must go and perform my duty elsewhere. You take care, Avatar Korra. And in case you feel you don't have proper support sometimes, remember that you and Saudorn are always in my hearts- Uh, uhm, just excuse the plural form if it freaks you out a bit".

Without a word, the young Avatar embraced Azara, yet again. "I don't care if you have a thousand hearts. I know those thumps are for the good of everything", she whispered in the female Guardian's ear.

Once they stopped embracing, Azara said:"Goodbye, Korra".

She, then, turned to the others and bowed, and then she was headed for a Protoss Shuttle, where Sojana had already been moved to, ready to be handed over to the Imperium's Inquisition, accompanied by two Imperium's Imperial Navy Valkyries - commanded by none other than Ulrik the Slayer and Spawn, respectively - from Warhammer 40,000 universe. On her way there, she stopped and embraced Shepard and her team, saying goodbye to them. Two minutes later, the 'airships' took off and flew away, leaving Korra somewhat dreadedly empty inside.

...

Onboard the Protoss Shuttle 'Glacaas', eight minutes before warp jump.

Narrator's p.o.v.

As Azara was sitting comfortably on the captain's chair, smiling merrily, excited to meet Saudorn again. She had so many things to teach him, so many cosmic lores to tell him, so many places and artifacts to show him, and so much love to confess... Of course she knew he'd already had a girlfriend, the Avatar; yet she knew she owned him an explanation. Ever since the death of Endul - her former husband - at her own hands, she felt like she couldn't love anymore. She was afraid to love again. She was afraid... to be betrayed again. Notwithstanding, she was in love once more the moment she laid eyes on Saudorn. At first, she felt like a mother, or a grandmother, to him, even though, mentally, she was only as old as a 40-year-old female human. But then, love made her young one more time. She had to admit, though, she'd felt really naughty, sucking on his penis weeks before, in his room, on Air Temple Island. She hadn't done that for a long, long time. And when she kissed him right after that, it felt right. And when she said 'I love you' to him right before making him go save that Furroh kid, a burden was lifted from her shoulders.

Yes, she would confess to him. And she expected him to say that he already had Korra. She didn't care. She just wanted to be near him, watch him transform from a superpowered human, to a fully realized Guardian, and fight together with him. Her body craved for someone's touch, but she guessed maybe when she was alone, she could think of him and render herself exhausted with pleasure. Maybe it'd be enough. _If only he and Korra, especially Korra, loved a threesome. Perhaps he does. But Korra? Unlikely. Yes, if only._ She sighed.

For all that, unbeknown to the Lady-Guardian, Sojana, in one of the four holding cells, had another plan. For more than an hour, she'd been secretly mutating her clone's heart into a big, pulsing, red-glowing sack, her surprise for Azara. Now, all she needed was to let one of the imperial troops onboard to be her errand boy.

"Hey, there, handsome. This poor girl needs your help", she called out to the one guarding her cell with a sultry voice.

The Imperial Guard's Cadian Shock Trooper ignored her.

"Really. I need your help. I want to show the Lady-Guardian something. Can you be a good man and give her something from me?", Sojana continued.

The Cadian guard still ignored her.

"Come on. If you do this, I'll let you touch me, _anywhere you want_ ". Sojana would not give up.

The guard sighed. He, then, turned around.

"What is it that you want to show her?", he inquired icily.

"Why don't you come in here and see for yourself?", the woman teased.

"Fine".

Believing that Sojana posed no threat now, gradually reaching for his keys, the guard unlocked the cell door and entered the cell.

"Well, what is it?".

"Come closer". Sojana's voice was ever-so-seductive.

The guard hesitated all of a sudden.

"Please?". Sojana feigned innocent.

The guard approached her.

"Good man". She smiled. "Now, would you mind pull this down for me? The message for the Lady-Guardian is inside this suit of mine". She looked down to her catsuit's zipper.

Swallowing nervously, the guard reached out, gripped the zipper with the thumb and index finger of his right hand, and pulled down, revealing Sojana's tempting cleavage. And between the recess, there was a small, rolled piece of paper. The guard took it, unrolled it and read what was in it. With a quizzical look, he gazed at her.

"She'll understand". Sojana smiled again.

As the guard intended to turn around and leave, Sojana spoke:

"Wait. I said "I'll let you touch me". Don't you want to touch me?".

The guard turned back to her.

"Uh... I...".

"No one's here to see us. And you know I'm harmless, all tied up, right?".

"Yes. You're right".

The guard approached Sojana one more time. After that, he pulled the zipper a little lower, showing off her reasonably sizable, round and alluring breasts. Putting the rolled piece of paper in the other hand, the guard used his right one to cup one of the woman's breasts, squeezing it lightly, causing her to moan sensually.

"If you want to, you can suckle it", the woman invited.

"Ma- maybe later". The guard gulped, promptly pulling the zipper up.

Sojana pouted, but then immediately winked. "And maybe... you can enter me too". _In your dream, human worm._ She snickered inwardly.

"Right".

Quickly closing and locking the cell door. The guard came to present the piece of paper to the Lady-Guardian, interrupting her train of thought, slightly annoying her.

"The woman prisoner wanted you to read this, My Lady".

"What is it?", Azara inquired, only to get one I-don't-know shake of the head from him. Calmly taking the thing from his hand, she looked at it. "What in damna-".

Upon seeing the inside of the paper, she stopped short. There was nothing but the image of a red-glowing heart. _Damnation!_ Instantly, she stood up and shouted:

"Everybody, get out of this ship, no-".

But it was too late. Sojana's clone exploded, ripping the spaceship apart.

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	41. Epilogue II

**Note: Here it is, guys, the last epilogue of this book! Next will be some hidden scenes, soon. Thanks for reading my fanfic and for following me! I really really appreciate it. It's been a pretty long journey :D . See you next year with Book II! I don't own the songs Open Casket by Death ( seeing that this is the last Death song from Book I, R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner :( ), Closed Casket by Gruesome, Into The Enchanted Chamber by Timeless Miracle and The Last Candle by Blind Guardian. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Epilogue II**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

"Audacity, the firmness of one's purpose, faith in oneself and creativity.

These, are four factors of the mind, which will decide one's fate: To be a Guardian, or to be guarded" - Esillith

...

Republic City, Yue Bay's Entrance, Azara's funeral.

Narrator's p.o.v.

It was a sad day, a sad day indeed. But not worse than the moment the Glacaas blew apart. Everybody was shocked, including Korra, Garrack and Heth Hamak. However, the incident hit them three the hardest. Garrack, because he'd been Azara's friend for, like, ever, going to the abyss and back countless of times; Heth Hamak, because of the deep respect he had for her - a fearless warrior, a splendiferous strategist, and she was one of, if not, the most beloved of all time; and Korra, because Azara simply cared about her and Saudorn so much. For the past eight days, while Garrack and Heth Hamak went about with their funeral duties with deep grief, the shock and emotional pain bore down on the young Avatar so heavily that she was in a state of depression all the time. She didn't eat, she didn't want to talk to anyone, she just locked the doors and stayed in her room day after day, trying to calm down only to cry herself to exhaustion and sleep, making everyone, especially Tenzin, Pema, Asami, Bolin, Tanna, Anyu, and Jinora extremely concerned; and the worst part of it was the fact that it reminded her of her times in the hospital, just without friends and family this time.

Every moment Korra wanted to express her guilt and sadness to someone, attempting to sit up and leave the bed and room, her body didn't want to. And so, she crashed back down, sobbing some more. It was a cycle of seemingly eternal Limbo. Finally, came day 8, it was Esillith who disabled the bolt locking the doors, entered the room and talked to her. He wanted her to have strength in order to attend the funeral, as it was going to be held two day later. His tone was sad, soft, yet powerful nonetheless. It reminded her of who she was, of her duties as the Avatar, and of her friendship with Azara. It provided her - a tiny flame - with more wax and air, to burn brightly with compassion, like before. After that, having the young, female human's attention, Esillith said:

"I have given you fuel, Avatar Korra, for you to ignite the passion for life inside your heart. Nevertheless, it's up to you to continue to be. It's up to you to immortalize my daughter, etching her name and honorable deeds into the very fabric of realities, with heartfelt and vigorous words. It's up to _you_ to NOT let her down. It's up to you, to make your loved Saudorn proud".

Esillith's words were not of admonition, yet they stung Korra profoundly. Shame burned her from the inside like acid. However, she heeded those words. Strugglingly, she heeded those words, and emerged from her room, following Esillith to Tenzin's family's dining chamber. After saying goodbye to Azara's father, Korra entered the chamber and was greeted by her friends. Following lunch and some catching-up ( about Azara's funeral, the state of the city, why there was not a funeral for Saudorn in Republic City [ with Tenzin saying that according to Esillith, the Guardian's successor, if untimely meets their demise, will receive a memorial committal in the heart of the Nexus, same as when the Guardian dies of natural cause, as their body cannot sustain life upon bearing the Supreme Energy for too long ], etc... ), there were much for the young Avatar to do: Showering, changing her clothes, taking a five-minute break and coming after Tenzin to tend to her Avatar and municipal responsibilities, addressing the people and supervising the funeral preparing procession, alongside her human and Multitude allies, of course, etc...

Eventually, the day of the funeral arrived; and so did the rest of the 'guests' - high-ranking Multitude warriors and officials and powerful, extra-significant space-faring individuals and cosmic beings. And among them were Eru Ilúvatar from Middle-Earth universe, Aslan from Narnia universe, the Living Tribunal from Marvel universe, Destiny from DC universe, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars universe and Zeratul from Starcraft universe. Once everyone was present on the Yrellar ( meaning 'interstellar' ) Uniter Platform - the very devices of the same kind which had been used to constructed the Linkground Nexus Gorios - assembling before Azara's giant statue ( as big as Aang's, which depicted a human-formed Azara in a cloak with free, long hair and crossed arms, her visage facing the ocean, spotting a cool smile, as if daring her opponent to invade Republic City ), which was entirely made of Immensium ( the first, and most indestructible, material in existence, which had been processed by assembling and molding each part from the Elders together: Asung's fang, a piece of Diegen's skin, Hyravar's ichor, and Zafaban's bile. Also it had been very near the state of depletion shortly after Azara became the Guardian ), either standing upon the ground level, sitting upon seats, being situated on a vast tiered structure for spectating purpose, or hovering above the platform. Standing a few meters away from the colossal sculpture, Esillith addressed the distinctive audience with his eulogy:

"Thank you all for coming here today. And my encouragements to those who are still fighting and cannot make it to this world". He halted for a little while. "Most violent, is not how hard aggression is being expressed, but how suddenly a loved one is taken away forever. Wasted, is not how unfortunate for the Servants of the Balance when they no longer have a leader to guide them, but how tragic for a life to end too early. Devastated, is not only that we lost another friend, another sister, and another child, but also that we'll spend the rest of our life without even having a chance... to say goodbye. Most vile, is not only that our enemy has managed to deface us with a stab in the back, but also that they prevented sacred duties for all of realities from being done, and a free destiny from manifesting to its fullest extent. And with great sorrow and immense pride, I bid you, Azara of Sophenia, Azara the Wise, Azara the Beloved Guardian, and Azara - my beautiful daughter, farewell. Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo!".

Instantly, the Multitude and the cosmic beings echoed the universal maxim with emotions:"Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo!".

Next, Esillith spoke:"Now, I would like to let a few individuals close to Azara, aside Saudorn - her would-be successor, share a few words with you. First and foremost, please welcome, World-Pioneer of Primus-Cyber, High Representative of the Pramerrar, and General-Multi of the Multitude, Cyborg Garrack".

Following that, Esillith stood aside, allowing the approaching General-Multi, who'd previously stood at the top of a line of eulogy-givers at the Peerless One's right side, to reach where he'd stayed. And then, Garrack began his eulogy:

"Thank you for your presences here this day. As you already knew, the Lady-Guardian and I are, or were, known for participating in very many crazy and wild adventures through realms and realities, adventures way after the disbandment of the Two Aces, way before the birth of the Pramerrar and a little while before I became World-Pioneer of Primus-Cyber, seeking and retrieving rare and legendary artifacts, defeating radical malefactors, joining in and stopping conflicts and wars all across the dimensions. These were good, old times; and for a good reason: Azara.

Many of you sure have met her, others briefly seen her, some heard of her, but I am certain that none of you can say that you dislike her. Maybe she was a hero to you". He pointed at a group of individuals. "Maybe she was a messiah to you". He pointed at another. "Or maybe she was a wonderful, friendly and kind leader, who would help _anybody_ , not caring whether they were worth her time or not. Notwithstanding, to me, she was a partner, a friend, and a comrade-in-arms. She saved my life multiple times, she annoyed the damnation out of me not less than a hundred times, she taught me how to be a commander without thinking of being a commander, and she showed me that war is not about strategies and victories, but about preserving and rebuilding. She helped change who I was forever. She helped change who each of us used to be, forever. All not about how great she was, but about how passionately she aimed to guide us to the destinies of our own.

'There are no immutable destinies, Garrack', she used to tell me, 'there are no rules, no requirements, no prophecies, and no laws that should dictate who we are. There is no need to become someone others _want_ you to be. Perhaps, you were born to be the Chosen One; perhaps, it was your destiny to save the world; yet it is you who controls your own path, it is you who decides to be whoever you desired. Light and Darkness are real manifestations, but they are NOT sides for you to choose. The realities are way too vast for such petty options. If you want to bring about peace and balance, you must understand Light and Darkness, you must understand what others need. And that doesn't mean you have to be 'grey' or 'neutral' too. Don't try to separate yourself from the whole, because you're not. You may be an individual, that is true; you may hate another because of your differences, that is unavoidable; and thus, you either just want to stand aside and not be involved in others' affairs, or try to solve others' problems with a disconnected, dispassionate attitude; however, _you_ belong to this existence, you are related to someone or something of your liking or heritage, and of hatred and rivalry, so start acting like it. Start fixing the problems without hesitation. Start shaping your own destiny'.

That was what she truly wanted. Realms and realities free of dependency, prophecies, and expectations, or distant and withdrawn viewpoints. Maybe we will never reach the state of true understanding, but at least we still can support each other and the redeemable, and make it to the destination of one's own, unobstructed by conclusions and obligations not originated from our cores. And each time she succeeded, her smile would brighten everything.

And now, she no longer smiles. The realms and realities stop being as bright as when she was alive. And we no longer smile and be excited as much as we used to, for she is gone. It's not so long after her everlasting absence, yet it hurts so much. Her death makes me miss her... so much".

Garrack halted, trying to suppress the tremendous amount of sorrow and grief in him, preventing it from overwhelming him again. Then, he was reminded of Averda, Azara's younger sister, once more. _Poor Azara. Ever since regretting that she 'caused' the Two Aces' disbandment, she always longed to reconcile with her sister, but was not able to because of either her Guardian duties or because of Averda ignoring her messages. Now she's dead, and she will never have a chance to make her peace with her stubborn sister ever again._ After that, he looked to his right, seeing Ritzaar - at over seven feet tall, with gray-skinned and demonic appearance, spotting two big, temple-sided horns which were naturally bent forwards, a face with no eyes and a lipless mouth full of sharp teeth, and two muscular arms and legs with three-fingered, three-toed hands and feet with massive, scary-looking claws ( nonetheless, Ritzaar was one of the less scary and extraordinarily amicable Valdarians, as there were, and are, bigger and nastier Valdarian individuals and creatures on Valdaria ) - his fellow Pramerrar teammate, consoling Korra, who was crying miserably now. Breathing deeply, his eyes returning to the audience, briefly scanning for their faces and emotions, he sighed, then he spoke aloud:

"But her wishes will never die! Her legacy will never die! We will continue to fight! And we will continue to preserve and rebuild! We will NOT disappoint her! And we will not stop making our own destinies! We will bring back balance to all realities and we will make sure that life is NOT to perish! May our memories of Azara the Wise stay with us to fuel, and inspire us forevermore! Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo!".

And the crowd, save for some, cried out with a din of warcries.

Following this, Garrack came to bow before Esillith and stood next to him, letting Heth Hamak begin his eulogy. At the number seventh of the line, Korra, after calming down a bit, commented to Ritzaar in a low voice:

"Azara was really lucky to have Garrack as a friend, wasn't she? He's just so passionate".

Ritzaar nodded politely, then he replied as low as his rumbling voice allowed:"You are right, Avatar Korra. But to be honest with you, my friend Garrack has been touched by Azara's compassion for a long time. Like he said, she changed his life. Therefore, I say he is lucky to have her as a friend more than her having him as a partner. That is why Garrack is so fervent when talking about her".

"What about H-it Hamatch? Is he Azara's friend too?".

"It's Heth - Hamak". Ritzaar chuckled. "And you can say that. But he is more of a... Hmm... A fellow soldier; yes, more of a fellow soldier than a friend. The Commanding Admiral is a former Yeerk slave, holding the rank of Visser Twelve and living a life of constant combat on various worlds in the Animorphs universe. Anything he knows involves the military way of life. Thus, it is very hard for him to adjust to the Hork-Bajir's peaceful nature, much less civilian, and uhm, romantic life. You may think he is callous for wanting to live in wartimes instead of peacetimes, but he just can't help it. It is also the reason why he respects Azara greatly for who she was. Of course, sometimes he craves the way others live their life, yet it was Azara who made him feel comfortable and believe in who he has become. She was a true comrade to him, even more than to Garrack, if I say so myself".

Korra was utterly amazed. "Wow. She really was a people's champion".

"And you will soon be one, Avatar Korra". Ritzaar placed his huge hand on her shoulder. "Or a greater Avatar than you are now, as it depends on you yourself".

"Thank you for your kind words". Korra turned her head to him and lightly bowed.

"My pleasure". He bowed back.

Once they finished their conversation, they continued to listen to Heth Hamak's eulogy. And when the Commanding Admiral was done, he came and stood next to Garrack. One minute later, another came up to fill his place and began their eulogy. Meanwhile, occasionally, Korra would ask Ritzaar about the myriad characters in the audience to satisfy her curiosity, him answering her with delight, pleased to see that the young Avatar wanted to know about the figures and entities out of her understanding and league. After a while, it was the 5th individual's turn to read their eulogy. The moment it finished walking haughtily and presumtuously taking the spot of others before it, accompanied by a group of flashy-clothed officials, Ritzaar snorted.

"Fake, pompous, disgustingly dishonest Regajj ( pronounced 'Rez-gah-j'. A Valdarian derogatory term for powerful and fraudulent politicians ) ", he said.

Korra was both taken aback and puzzled by Ritzaar's words. "What do you mean with that?".

"That's Chancellor Klysiis ( pronounced 'K-lī-sis' ), new head of the Stellar Republic of Zasth, owner of Central Superium Exploitation Mine-Station Vesthinum and other Superium Mine-Stations, in the 355th Reality, the one and only distributor of a nearly indestructible material called Superium, which is one of the main resources we need in order to win this war, and the ones following him are his escorts. Because of their... 'properties', diplomacy with the Zasths is one of the Multitude's most important priorities, which places the Zasths - a bunch of rich, filthily luxurious administrators - very high on the Multitude's hierarchical ladder. It's like making the wealthy even wealthier, and egotistical even more egotistical. Not that Valdaria, where I'm from, is poor; we are not poor, but we are not neck-deep in luxuries either. Moreover, we help a lot of other worlds with financial and health care and criminal problems, so we don't really dwell on opulence. Azara didn't hate a lot of things, but when she did, nothing and no one could change her mind; and chief among her hate list is none but the Zasths. When she first became the Guardian, the slimy Jathfaces ( Jath was, and is, the Stellar Republic of Zasth's currency ) offered to be her 'supporters' so as to gain political favor, which she denied flatly. And they hated her ever since. Now that she's gone, they have the gall to show their faces here and pretend to mourn her death. Light and Darkness, I hate them".

"I... see", Korra responded haltingly, reminded of her early encounter with Tarrlok, who'd tried to sway her to his side with politics, lies and gifts of luxury. _And talk about Tarrlok, where is he? After talking to him in his cell, on Air Temple Island, I never saw him again. Tenzin said that he checked that entire building a couple of times, but didn't find anything helpful regarding Tarrlok's fate at all. It was like he completely disappeared! Did he escape himself? Did Amon/Noatak, somehow still alive, get him out of the cell and flee? Did Saudorn... kill him after I and Furroh went downstairs? Oh Saudorn, I hope you didn't just do that._ She thought.

"Avatar Korra, are you alright?". Ritzaar's voice brought her back to reality.

Korra blinked. "I- I'm fine. It's just that I suddenly remembered something disturbing, that's all. It's nothing now".

"Are you sure?".

"Yes, I'm sure. Thanks for caring".

After that, they halfheartedly focused on the lengthy and ostentatious eulogy from Klysiis. Once the Zasthish Chancellor was done, it was Ritzaar's turn. A brief hug between Korra and the Valdarian Prince later, Ritzaar approached the eulogy-giving spot, professing to 'unintentionally' jostle one of the Chancellor's escosts, causing it to fall flat on its back, eliciting small chortles from others, especially Garrack, Heth Hamak and Esillith; while the Zasthish escort clumsily stood up, dusting its clothes with a huff and grumbling in Zasthish, proceeding to come stay near the Chancellor, the third member of the Pramerrar began to move the crowd with his princely, yet powerful and charismatic words, evoking loud cheers from them, making them no longer feel sad and grievous with stories about Azara's fierce, wise and sometimes humorous deeds. _So that's what a prince is like. If Lord Zuko attended Azara's funeral, which he can't right now because of General Iroh, I wonder what he'd think of Ritzaar. It'd be awesome if it happened, I'm sure._ Korra pondered amusedly.

A while later, the instant Ritzaar finished his own eulogy, he introduced Korra to the audience, motioning her to the spot with quick movement of his right hand, as if silently telling her to hurry up. As Korra reached the place, where a microphone on top of a lectern, wonderfully connected to amplifiers and speakers, had been created by Esillith just for her, and as the crowd cheered, the Prince whispered in the Avatar's ear, wishing her luck, earning a blush from her. When the cheering died down, Korra started to say:

"Thank you all for accepting me as one of Azara's eulogy-givers. I am very humble, and sad, to be here today. Honestly, I didn't, and still don't know much about Azara". She halted for a little bit and turned her head to look up at the colossal statue behind her. Next, she continued. "And that's because I met her not really long ago. However, she didn't care about that, nor did she about her knowing me; or maybe she did know. Either way, she cared about me, and my late boyfriend, Saudorn, a lot. And like General-Multi Garrack said, she "helped change" my life; and I am very positive that she would continue to do so had her life not been tragically cut short. I know it may not sound right to the good benders from my world, and you, but I dare say Azara is as loving and gentle as my waterbending master, Katara, for even when she was not a waterbending healer, she tried to heal my spirit with her gifts and love, and she succeeded. She has made me realize how much I miss Saudorn after he died. She has made me realize that I am not alone in my journey to become a fully recognized Avatar. And most important of all, she has made me realized that I am already a part of something bigger, something even greater than this world, that I was not fighting to save Republic City from an organization of fanatical individuals, to help bring balance to my world, but to help stabilize a massive, celestial system from beyond, one that is threatened by the brutality of war.

When I was a kid, I used to listen to the stories of Avatar Aang and the Hundred Year War countless of times, and I thought to myself how awesome Avatar Aang's journey was, how epic and honorable his and his friends' deeds were, and they made me want to become just like him. Now I know better. Now I've tasted true brutality and cruelty. This war that I am in? It's so much more immense than all the wars in this world combined. And I can't afford to be 'just like' my hero, Avatar Aang. I must be myself. I must be one with love and compassion. I must make my own destiny, as Azara has subconsciously inspired me. She is gone. She is dead... But Garrack was right. Her legacy will never die! And Saudorn's legacy will never die too! As the Avatar of the World of Benders, I promise you, my new friends and allies, that I will not only fight to uphold Azara's beliefs, but also be an example of what love and compassion can do! Our destinies... will prevail!".

When she finished her speech, the audience cheered once again, all standing or floating up in the air to applaud loudly and ardently. As the young Avatar was on the way to rejoin the line, Esillith signaled for her to stop, nodding gently. After that, he stood next to the lectern and declared:

"The encasing process is going to begin soon. So it's time for you to pay respect to the Lady-Guardian".

Then, the mass of audience set about to form a line and were headed for the huge statue. In the meantime, Esillith motioned one of his servants - a blue, constantly shape-shifting object, as big as an automobile - to where he was standing. Next, he presented his right hand, palm up, appearing to wait for the thing/creature to give him something, and gradually, an item emerged from inside it. At first, Korra didn't know what it was, but then, as more of the device was seen, she realized that it was a guitar! And even though it seemed not to be the same kind of guitar Azara had given her boyfriend, Korra was excited nonetheless.

"Before my daughter died, she told me to have a bass guitar made for you, just so Saudorn could teach you how to play. I know he's expired now, but there are still others who can help you hone in your bass playing skills, such as Garrack, Dazzler and Meteor Man from Marvel universe, and so on... Also, before you thank me, I heard that Saudorn and you have sung together the night before you went to confront Amon. So... I want you to sing some songs for the statue's casket encasing process. Is that all right with you?".

"Statue's casket encasing process?". Korra was confused and perplexed. "And me, singing? Before those beings? I don't know. I mean... it's an honor to be asked that by you, but-".

"Just one of those theatrical things each and every Guardian want to happen before they die", Esillith explained, smiling knowingly, "and I believe you can do it. Just two or three songs". Esillith placed his hands on the young human teenager's shoulders. "And if you still don't think you can, invite your friends to help you".

Korra hesitated, biting her lower lip lightly.

"For me? And for Azara too". Besought the Peerless One tenderly.

The young Avatar closed her eyes for a little while, inwardly debating with herself. Following this, she opened her eyes, smiling with understanding, and replied:

"For you, Lord Esillith. And for her".

"Ahhh, don't say that". Esillith chuckled. "That's too formal for my taste. But my gratitude, Avatar Korra". He gave her a light bow.

Korra, of course, bowed back.

After the crowd finished paying respect to the late Lady-Guardian, after asking Asami, Furroh and Ritzaar to help her out with the rehearsal, containing three songs that Saudorn's girlfriend picked from her memories of that night, Korra was ready for her first ever music live performance. Once the audience were back to their spectating spots, Esillith, once again standing in front of the gigantic statue, announced:

"And now is the encasing process. And to honor our beloved Azara, the Avatar of the World of Benders and her friends decided to perform three songs 'til the end of the funeral. My deputies, time to lower the casket!".

Immediately, the shape-shifting objects began to move the humongous, rectangularly four-sided, Earth's oriental decorations-adorned casket down at a steady pace, using their material manipulation, going through the statue thank to the unfinished bottom. The moment the casket connected with a separated platform serving as the statue's 'floor', four enormous, alien latches instantly secured the 'floor' and the death box altogether. After that, six deputies started to let down the casket's sliding lid until it was at the casket's opening hole for the covering, at the top. As everything was in place, Esillith signaled for Korra and her 'bandmates' to come near him ( Ritzaar already sat at the drums fabricated by Esillith ). After this, he announced again:

"And now, my friends, please welcome, Brazen!".

As soon as the music hit, the crowd cheered. After a while, Korra started singing, spitting words at the microphone with fury of a firebender, which was attached to a mike stand, the bass guitar suspended near her stomach by its straps over her shoulder:

"Approach the image filled with fear  
as the image grows so clear!  
Future now takes full control!  
The one whose past you now behold!

Touch!  
The flesh - it is so cold!  
Turn away!  
You now - have been told!

Never to return!  
Memories will last!  
In the future,  
you'll think about the past!  
Never to forget  
what you've seen!

People come to pay respect!  
Taking pictures of the dead!  
That is what life comes to be!  
Once they lived, now they're deceased!

Death is oh so strange.  
The past - no one can change.  
What you can't predict  
is how long you'll exist...!

Open... casket...!  
Open... casket...!

Life will never be the same!  
Death can never be explained!  
It's their time to go beyond!  
Empty feeling when they're gone!

Never to return!  
Memories will last!  
In the future,  
you'll think about the past!  
Never to forget  
what you've seen!  
What cannot be real,  
you now BELIEVE!".

As the song was finished, the crowd applauded, inspiriting the 'band'. Emotional now, several tears traveled down the young Avatar's cheeks. One minute later, once the crowd calmed down, she addressed them:

"Thank you for your encouragement. I appreciate it. We appreciate it". She and the other bowed.

The crowd let out another outburst of praise.

"Thank you. Thank you". The 'metallers' bowed again. "Now, we would like to make another tribute to Azara, and the fallen of this war. This song is called 'Closed Casket'! ".

As the music was blared again, the deputies began to lower the lid further at Esillith's signal. Not long after the beginning of the awesome sounds, Korra sang:

"Gruesome death, too horrible to bear!  
The coffin's sealed, a hellish sight we're spared!

Turn - and look away  
from the face - of de-cay.

Morbid thoughts, buried just beneath!  
The mockery - of a funeral wreath!

Dismem-bered - memories  
of a life - that used to be.

Death lies waiting just beyond!  
A rotting corpse's left when they're gone!  
Open grave to seal them in!  
They will never rise again!

Closed casket!  
Closed casket!  
Closed casket!  
Closed cas-ketahhhhhh...!

Horrid fate - to which we all are doomed!  
To leave this life - and enter the tomb!

The grave - is never far away.  
Your end - may be today.

Death lies waiting just beyond!  
A rotting corpse's left when they're gone!  
Open grave to seal them in!  
They will never rise again!

Closed casket!  
Closed casket!  
Closed casket!  
Closed cas-ketahhhhhh...!".

The second the music ended, the lid reached the 'floor' and was secure by other latches. The crowd was no longer cheering, but now they were chanting the maxim aloud.

"Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo! Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo! Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo! Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo! Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo! Zabriga mor Avar k'rit ullor-ha-tozo!".

After allowing the audience to carry on with the chant for three minutes straight, Korra gestured for them to be quiet. Next, she spoke:

"And now, we have one last song. And this song is to dedicate to life, and everything else that is good! Its title is... 'Into The Enchanted Chamber'!

Brothers - and sisters - we're pilgrims of our - destiny.  
O-pen - up - your - mind - and - see - the - truth.  
We've come for the cleansing - to purify our hearts and beliefs.  
To - the - well - of - souls - we - come - a-gain.

We turn our backs - to modern life,  
bigotry and hate.  
We - praise - the - new - sun-rise.

Dreamers - and thinkers - we challenge the world that we despise.  
Gaze - in-to - the - lake - of - tears - tonight.  
His-to-ry teaches us, but Mankind won't learn from her mistakes.  
Ha-tred - shapes - the - choi-ces - that - she - makes.

Into the womb of Mother Earth,  
the cradle of all life.  
We - turn - our - plea-ding - eyes.

To the wind - and water - to the fire and the chamber of - our lies,  
we have come to pay a tribute - to the pagan way - of life.  
To the earth - and the mountains,  
to the valley of the dead, we all have come,  
to cleanse the mind and body - of the evil in this world.

The heavens are burning - the oceans are rising overhead.  
Thrown, we - are - into - the - lion's - den.  
Darkness will follow - the wake of destruction that we bring  
so - that - we - can - start - to - build - a-gain.

We turn our backs - to modern life,  
bigotry and hate.  
We - praise - the - new - sun-rise.

To the wind - and water - to the fire and the chamber of - our lies,  
we have come to pay a tribute - to the pagan way - of life.  
To the earth - and the mountains,  
to the valley of the dead, we all have come,  
to cleanse the mind and body - of the evil in this world.

Fear not what you feel! Death is not the ending!  
'Cause dying is the - key - to - life!  
Returning to what were! The cycle's near completion!  
The wheel of life goes on - and on - and on.

Into the womb of Mother Earth,  
the cradle of all life.  
We - turn - our - plea-ding - eyes.

To the wind - and water - to the fire and the chamber of - our lies,  
we have come to pay a tribute - to the pagan way - of life.  
To the earth - and the mountains,  
to the valley of the dead, we all have come,  
to cleanse the mind and body - of the evil in this world.

To the wind - and water - to the fire and the chamber of - our lies,  
we have come to pay a tribute - to the pagan way - of life.  
To the earth - and the mountains,  
to the valley of the dead, we all have come...".

...

The South Pole, the Southern Water Tribe, in the White Lotus compound, a few days later.

Narrator's p.o.v.

After the brilliant conclusion of Azara's funeral, Korra and her friends departed from Republic City and returned to her homeland - the Southern Water Tribe. She wanted Katara's help, she needed Katara's help, to restore all of her bendings. Inside the White Lotus compound, while Oogi was staying outside, inside a medicine house, everyone, including Korra's parents - Tonraq and Senna, was waiting anxiously to see if Katara could work miracles or not, as she was, of course, the greatest healer in the World of Benders.

Shortly later, as Katara exited the patient room with a sad visage, everybody immediately stood up to hear the news. Sorrowfully, Katara said:

"I've tried everything in my power, but I cannot restore Korra's other bendings".

Tenzin looked down in despair. However, refusing to believe what she heard, Lin spoke aloud:"But you're the best healer in the world! You have to keep trying".

Katara replied calmly:"I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can do. Korra can still airbend, but her connection to the other elements has been severed".

That was when Korra came out, looking depressed once again. She looked at all of the people in the waiting room, melancholy clinging to her face like a dark, invisible mask. Seeking to console his apprentice, Tenzin said:

"It's going to be all right, Korra".

Her face hardened. "No, it's not".

Then, she walked towards the doors, passing Bolin, Anyu, Mako, Asami, Furroh and Simel ( Tanna was standing pretty far away from the doors ). Furroh attempted to reach out for her, but she dismissed his hand and grasped for her coat, exiting the building. After that, Furroh turned to Simel, his eyes seemed as if silently asking her permission to go after the young Avatar. With a slight squeeze of her hand upon his, Simel granted his wish. Not wasting time, he ran out to catch up with Korra.

"Korra, wait!".

The young Avatar's voice was full of frustration. "Go away".

"I will, but I just want you to know I'm here for you". Using a bit of astute conversation skills, Furroh caught her attention. "Even when Saudorn and Azara can't".

She turned to him. "No, I mean go away. Back to Republic City. Get on with your life". She crossed her arms and looked away.

"What are you talking about?". Simel's brother was confused.

"I'm not the Avatar anymore. You don't need to do me any favor".

Upon hearing that, the former Equalist teenager couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, Korra". And as she glared at him, he stopped his chuckling and got serious. "Listen, I don't care if you're the Avatar or not. Asami chose to stay by your side, Simel chose to side with the forces of Good, and, hey, I chose to fight by your and Saudorn's side too. We already went to the abyss and back, Korra. I will _not_ abandon someone I fought side by side. So, please, know that you're not alone, and there are people who're willing to help you. For Saudorn's and Azara's sake?".

As she listened to Furroh's words, her eyes began to get teary and she couldn't stop the liquids from flowing down her cheeks. "I... can't".

Wanting to get far away, she rushed to Naga, jumped on the polar bear-dog and rode away.

"Korra!". Furroh intended to follow her but realized that he was no match for the animal in racing.

Five seconds later, having witnessed what was going on between the two, Tenzin joined Furroh as the teen had done the same thing when Commander Bumi arrived. "We need to be patient with her. It will take time for her to accept what has happened".

"I wish Saudorn was still here" was the only thing Furroh said.

"I know. Me too. Me too...".

...

After a while, Korra stopped by the edge of a cliff and looked out to the horizon. She was still shedding tears. As she sat down and curled herself in, she sensed someone approaching her from behind.

"Not now, Tenzin. I just want to be left alone".

"But you called me here". The response surprised her verily.

She was startled and astonished. Turning around, she could only utter the figure's name. "Aang".

"You have finally connected with your spiritual self", Aang declared.

"How?". Korra was astounded.

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change". Her predecessor smiled.

Following that, all of a sudden, all of the Avatars were revealed, including Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yangchen. Aang, then, reimposed Korra's other bendings by placing his left thumb on her forehead ( while his right hand resting on her left shoulder ), both of them glowing with the white light of the Avatar State. Once Aang stepped back, all of the Avatars disappeared, including he himself. Next, Korra opened her eyes, showing that she was in the Avatar State. And she was finally able to bend all of the elements, floating in midair awesomely. After this, she went back to her normal state. The moment she turned around, Furroh was there, smiling a happy smile. At once, she rushed to him and embraced him gently, him returning her embrace.

"You were right. I am never alone", after the hugging, looking up at her taller friend, she softly stated.

...

Some moments later, at the Avatar Temple, which belonged to the Southern Water Tribe, while everyone gathered at the base of the temple's stonesteps, Lin walked up to the Avatar, who was waiting for her. Turning to the young Water Tribe woman, Toph's daughter half-knelt before her. Korra, next, did what Aang had done, going in the Avatar State and restoring Lin's earth and metalbending, astonishing Tenzin greatly. And Katara? She just looked on with a proud smile. Once she was done, Lin stood up, facing everybody, raising her arms up, easily and successfully lifting up the rocks around the temple with her earthbending. Upon seeing this, Naga wagged her tail excitedly, Bolin's jaw dropped, and everyone else was happy. Finishing bending the rocks, Lin turned to Korra again and uttered a very sincere "Thank you". Korra replied by respectfully bowing to the Chief of Police of Republic City. After that, having heard the sounds of footsteps on the stonesteps, the young Avatar faced a delighted Tenzin.

"I am so proud of you... Avatar Korra", he spoke.

And that made her happier than ever.

...

Onboard the Linkground Nexus Gorios, in the Command Bridge.

Saudorn's p.o.v.

My heart was filled with love and warmth as I saw Korra finish restoring Lin Beifong's bending through the fortress's Great Interdimensional Monitor together with the others, including Njiry - Esillith's 309th son, and Tech-Centusth of the Gorios - Zia - Esillith's 11th daughter, and Arms-Centusth of the Gorios - Jerath - Esillith's 7th son, and Combat Instructor of the Gorios - and Nezar - Esillith's first sexless offspring and 51st offspring in general, and Diplomat-Steward of the Gorios, before the Titling of The Guardian Ceremony was allowed to begin. This occurrence, the true return of the Avatar, helped me cope with the death of Azara greatly. At that time, I still couldn't get the shock of her violent assassination out of my system, despite the progress of time. This had been an emotional wound so severe that it felt like I just lost my world once again. Of course, Korra was my world to me, and I dreaded the simple idea of losing her to any of my or her enemies ( especially Zaheer ); nonetheless, Azara was my mentor, my adoptive sister, and my dear friend. Her decease was of a paramount loss, not only to my feelings, but also to my training to become the Guardian as well. Needless to say, her siblings, except Jerath, were very nice to me, yet I was so accustomed to Azara's teachings and presence that I didn't even know who to turn to anymore. My mind was a vortex of chaos.

But now, now seeing that Korra had 'started' a metal 'band', and had regained her bending, using the Avatar State to reinstitute Lin's bending, I was so happy. So happy and so proud of her. Once satisfied that everything was going well in the World of Benders, I turned to Zia and said:

"I am ready now".

She nodded and signaled for the Great Monitor to be turned off, for me to take the newcomer's spot, which was on the left side of the Throne Dais, me clothed in a ceremonial costume - a formal, black, light armor ( actually the Newcomer was to wear armor of a greater size. Notwithstanding, I was just a mere human, so... you know ) and a courtly, long, red cape, 'armed' with a mike device in my mouth to boost the volume of my voice. Next, she addressed the massive crew and staff and warriors on the cosmic fortress in a loud and powerful voice:

"As you have known, the reason why we conduct the Ceremony much too early, is because of the sudden passing of Azara the Wise - our dear Lady-Guardian. Normally, it is against the Novice's Principle to title the newcomer the Guardian without ensuring that they must pass the Elders' Trials to prove, that they just earned this crucial position with blood and determination. Nevertheless, we are in a time of war, and war calls for unhesitant decisions. And so a decision was reached, and the Peerless One has spoken:"The Newcomer must be the Guardian".

Therefore, we are here, in this moment, to witness the rising of our new leader, the new Guardian. Let me call forth Saudorn of Earth, Saudorn of The World of Benders, to present before me, Zia the Innovative, Arms-Centusth of the Gorios, and Acting Liege of the Nexus and the Multitude, on behalf of Esillith the Great, the Peerless One, and bear the title that is to be bestowed upon you".

Next, I walked towards Azara's older sister, half-knelt and briefly bowed before her. After that, I heard Zia say:

"Now, Saudorn of Earth, you have been deemed fit for this high estate by your peers and betters, and have indicated your willingness to accept this honor from Our hands". She touched my forehead with her right index and middle finger. "Do you now swear by all that you hold sacred, true, and good that you will honor, defend and uphold the balance of all realities?".

"I will".

"That you will honor, defend, and protect the Lesser, those weaker than yourself?". Now she touched my left shoulder.

"I will".

"That you will be courteous and honor your peers or betters, while being true to yourself, no matter what their judgments are?". She touched my right shoulder.

"I will".

"And that you will prove to your predecessors that you are wholly worthy of being a part of their legacy? That you will respect it, even though you might attempt to change it? That you will have not a second thought comes the time of the Fusion Ceremony?". ( the procedure in which the Guardian has to fuse with the Supreme Energy when he/she reaches his/her Prime ) She touched the spot of my heart three times.

"I will. I will. And I definitely will not".

"Then, may you rise, Saudorn Zalear, as Our leader, Our new Guardian, ready and eager to serve your realities".

I gradually stood up, looking Zia in the eyes and smiling, her gently smiling back, hearing the cheers from the crew, staff and warriors with satisfaction. Following this, she inquired:

"Do you have something to say to your Lesser, Peers and Betters?".

"I do".

I, then, turned around, facing the individuals looking up at the dais, raising my left hand, indicating the servitors to bring up my second guitar to me. Once I put the guitar's strap on my shoulder, I said, grinning rather smugly:

"And it's in the form of a song. 'The Last Candle' ". I turned to one of the servitors. "Hit the music".

As the music was blared, wasting no time, I started playing the guitar, singing:

"Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of The Blind.  
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of The Blind.  
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of The Blind.  
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of The Blind.

Yeahhhhhh! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Have you forgotten him?

Far from the land  
where the sun is born  
down in the wood "Caledon"!  
Do you know that place  
where the light is never seen  
and all hopes - are turned  
by the final cry?

Turned to stone!  
Turned to stone.  
Turned to stone!  
Turned to stone.

Whis-per-ing tunes - in - the wind.  
All hopes are gone with - the night!  
When the old man will never come back!  
Remember his words and his songs!  
And we see the raven flying in the distance  
but no wizard singing his songs.

Some-bo-dy's - out - in - the - night.  
I fly - in time!  
The - last - can-dle - will - burn.  
There's hope - for everyone  
when the last - candle burns - high!  
Oh, it's - time - for - life!

The elves - and gnomes - have to hide  
when the moon is showing its face  
and raging orcs will set their traps  
and all fo-rests - will burn!  
They hate green trees  
and love the dark!  
They don't - un-derstand  
that they're caught and left alone.  
They feel - the magic in the wind.  
They just fear the old man's songs!

Some-bo-dy's - out - in - the - night.  
I fly - in time!  
The - last - can-dle - will - burn.  
There's hope - for everyone  
when the last - candle burns - high!  
Oh, it's - time - for - life!

Cor-rup-ted - old gnome,  
betra-yer - of all,  
you know - so much - about all.  
What is your price?

"Too much. Too much.  
You cannot pay - with your silver and your gold!  
There's just a little chance to - save - the wizard's life.  
There's just a little chance - for all - you fools!  
Now pay".

And so I walk - across the land  
and hope - to hear - the wizard's song!

Some-bo-dy's - out - in - the - night.  
I fly - in time!  
The - last - can-dle - will - burn.  
There's hope - for everyone  
when the last - candle burns...

Some-bo-dy's - out - in - the - night.  
I fly - in time!  
The - last - can-dle - will - burn.  
There's hope - for everyone  
when the last - candle burns - high!  
Oh, it's - time - for - life!

Somebody's out there.  
I feel there's somebody  
Somebody's out there.  
I feel there's somebody  
Somebody's out there.  
I feel there's somebody  
Somebody's out there.  
I feel there's somebody  
Somebody's out there.  
I feel there's somebody  
Somebody's out there.  
I feel there's somebody".

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


	42. Hidden Scenes

**Note: These are the hidden scenes to keep you hyped for Book II. Enjoy, and, again, see you next year! I don't own the song Holy Hell by Possessed. I don't own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Hidden Scenes**

...

Republic City, the Sato Estate, in the underground factory, four days later.

Simel's p.o.v.

After witnessing Korra's awesome, newly obtained power of restoring benders their lost bending, after spending two more days at the Southern Water Tribe, letting Korra give us teenagers a tour around her homeland, me and my brother-lover trying hard to not fool around recklessly whenever we were alone with one another, we'd all returned to Republic City the day after that. Next, early in the afternoon, I and Furroh said goodbye to team Avatar and allies ( minus Saudorn. Also temporarily, during our stay at the Southern Water Tribe, Asami approached us and asked if we would like to move from our residence to the Sato Estate with her and Mako and Bolin, which we said 'yes'! ), promising to let them help with the packing and moving the next day, went back to our home and... had a steamy and passionate sex session with my beloved brother. Oh, how I missed spending times together with him. After the first round ( with the help of a condom ), I couldn't help but cry happily now that we were no longer tormented by Sojana, now that we could really take care of each other, and of Asami too.

After another round ( this time, anal sex, which was one of my favorite things when it came to intercourse ), we went to shower, and ended up pleasuring each other once again ( we were getting insatiable, I know! ), went to make dinner and discussed about what kind of jobs we should apply now that we were just a couple ( no pun intended. Or was it? ) of normal teens, and not Equalists anymore ( and thank to the Multitude, and Azara's funeral, kinda, we were not sought to be persecuted by the Republic City Equalist Trial [ mainly conducted by Republic City's Police Force, since the voting for a new government was not to occur until three days later ] ), debating quite thoughtfully. Once we were done with dinner, we decided to just cuddle, enjoying each other's presence and saving the love-making for midnight ( we didn't know why, but midnight copulation always fascinated us ). Later, it was just incredible, and the aftermath was very satisfying. We slept peacefully up to sunrise. Following that and everything lovely couples do in the morning, team Avatar and allies came to help us. Because we were just a decent pair of siblings, we didn't have as many things as Asami did, so it only took the whole morning to put all the necessary stuff in a police truck, which Korra had managed to pry from Lin as a favor for restoring her bending ( at this point, I liked her even more ).

Then, we all sat down on the floor to have lunch - a big tray of dumplings of all kinds, bought by Mako and Bolin ( the shop owner, upon realizing that they were friends of the Avatar, immediately treated them with the shop's specials. "On the house! For the Avatar!", he exclaimed excitedly ). After lunch and some chatting, the group split up again, Korra going back to Air Temple Island, Tanna and Anyu to their own homes ( just not before Anyu giving Bolin an intense kiss, which made me and Furroh a bit jealous, even though we already got one another ), and the rest of us to the Sato Estate. Once we arrived at our new home, we spent most of the afternoon to move our things out of the truck and into the mansion, and unpack some of them. As we were about to take a rest, then have dinner, Esillith came to talk to me and my brother, privately. He said he needed us to embark on a special mission: Going to the hospital to steal Liao Zu's corpse! At first, we were shocked and displeased to be asked to do such a thing, which the otherworldly being replied that he wanted to resurrect Liao Zu to secretly prepare Republic City for another war which would descend upon our world soon ( "The Avatar and Hamak's battlefleet are not enough to protect your city from our devious enemy. We need more. We need an underground organization who're willing to sacrifice their life to keep an eye out for suspicious activities. And the remnant of the Equalist Movement are perfect candidates" ).

"But how are we going to earn our money to buy personal stuff for our life without a job?", I inquired Esillith, "I mean, I understand the "sacrifice life" part, but-".

"You don't have to worry about that". Esillith smiled kindly. "The Multitude will supply your organization with any possible mean, even a cover job so as to not make people suspect there's something 'wrong' with the individuals they see. However, everyone has to spend much time at the base for training and discipline and war preparations. There is no exception".

"And what about our cousin and friends? Should they know about what we do?", Furroh wanted to know.

"Absolutely not". Esillith shook his head. "This is an extremely classified operation. But since you're living with your cousin, you'll need her to cover for you. Just tell her what she needs to know, the rest, will be for later".

And with that, Esillith told us to talk to Asami, also instructing us to depart as soon as we could, because our insiders only had limited time to distract others in order for us to take the body and haul ass, to tell Asami to let Ritzaar and Heth Hamak, who would be coming and securing the underground factory for the resurrection, in, him leaving shortly after. The moment we finished telling Asami about our mission and its strictly obscure reasons, we thought she would lecture us about morality and stuff, yet all she expressed was her concern for us. She said if Esillith entrusted us with this mission, the cause must already be justified. Soon after changing into plain, outdoor clothes and saying a short goodbye to our cousin and the brothers, we went to the hospital, infiltrated it, met with our contacts inside, listening to what we had to do, and proceeded to get Liao Zu's dead body out. The instant we were outside through the hospital's back exit, to an alley, an automobile was waiting for us; quickly putting Liao Zu ( in a body bag ) in the vehicle's trunk, we got in the car and were driven away. About an hour later, the car arrived at the entrance of the secret passage leading to our uncle's workshop. After getting out of the vehicle, getting the corpse out of the trunk and saying goodbye to the shapeshifting Multitude agent/driver, we were headed towards the small building, meeting Asami there, who looked a little uncomfortable upon seeing the body bag. We swiftly shared a hug with her, then, we got to the elevator and rode it to the factory.

As soon as we saw the spacious inside of the former Machine-Tank facility again, suddenly our memories of being a part of the Equalist Movement flooded our vision. Looking at each other to muster strength, and love, to forget those awful days, we inhaled deeply and exhaled and approached an altar, where Ritzaar and Heth Hamak were standing guard. Immediately, they helped us put the body onto the altar and take the bag away from it. Next, we waited for Esillith to come. Turned out, he didn't come alone, there were two other beings behind him as well. After introducing to us Ku'gath the Plaguefather ( the Great Unclean One, one of the many avatars of the Chaos God Nurgle, that Korra had met ) and the human-sized Umr at-Tawil, a very tall, unnturally dark, humanoid-shaped being behind a strange, black, shimmering veil, one of the avatars of Yog-Sothoth, the Lurker at The Threshold, the Opener of The Way, the Beyond-One, the All-in-One and One-in-All, and the Gate, the Key and the Guardian of knowledge of the past, present and future, Esillith bade us to stay near the body's feet and the Valdarian Prince and the Commanding Admiral, while he stayed near the head with Ku'gath and Umr at-Tawil. Following this, the Peerless One used his powers to make our minds accommodate the language required for the 'Ritual of Resurrection', and then addressed us:

"Now, young ones, repeat after us after each incantation. Remember to steel your minds and still your hearts. Do _not_ be alarmed when anomalies occur. Do you understand?".

"Yes, we do", I and Furroh responded in unison.

"Good. Let us begin".

The three beings and two others started chanting:"In the name of Azathoth, the Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan, Lord of All Things, and our Creator and Destroyer, we beseech thee, O Thy Blind-Idiot Majesty".

"In the name of Azathoth, the Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan, Lord of All Things, and our Creator and Destroyer, we beseech thee, O Thy Blind-Idiot Majesty".

That was when there were slight gushes of wind, small voices began to chant in languages beyond our comprehension. So eerie and so frighteningly creepy. Furthermore, startlingly, following these abnormal occurrences, there came an unknown odor, hideous and all-pervasive, too alien and outworldly to our sense of smell. After that, we heard distant rumbles of thunder, which lightly shook us to the core, even though the sounds were not loud enough to catch us off guard.

"Grant us, thy servants, thy power to resurrect. Bring back to life this poor soul from the death. For his purpose be none but help restore the balance and stability of all realities, and ensure that thy eternal sleep shall not be disturbed. Iä! Azathoth! Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Iä! Yog-Sothoth! Y'ammesh ret Esrar! Trull loth ret Vynga seth nmoh Essarth hor tist Festh! Sii brymur Pism hass doth cree Wromas! Iä! Iä!".

"Grant us, thy servants, thy power to resurrect. Bring back... to life this poor soul from the death... For his purpose- be none but help restore the balance and stability of all- realities, and ensure that thy eternal sleep shall not be disturbed... Iä Azathoth! Iä Shub-Niggurath! Iä- Yog-Sothoth. Y'ammesh ret Esrar! Trull loth ret- Vynga seth nmoh... Essarth hor tist Festh. Sii brymur Pism hass... doth cree Wromas! Iä. Iä!".

The odor was getting more and more unbearable now. The voices were becoming much louder and more cacophonous now. And thunder rumbled more violently outside too. There were flashes of lightning everywhere inside the factory. Our surroundings started getting distorted and warped threateningly, out-of-this-world lights with multiple colors appearing and disappearing more and more frequently. The temperature rose and fell like mad. The air rendered us hard to breathe, making it difficult for us to continue the chant without coughing and stopping to steady our respiration. Even Ritzaar and Heth Hamak were affected also, yet they didn't struggle with great effort like us. As we continued and repeated the bizarre incantations, the voices slowly changed, turning from howls and shrieks of demented and chaotic qualities to mystic, cryptic and melodic intones, choruses and warbles, all aiming at the corpse of Liao Zu, our Equalist Lieutenant.

"Rise, Liao Zu of the World of Benders! Heed the call from beyond, beyond thy resting realm of death, and return to the world of the living! For thy debts hast not been paid, thy wrongful deeds hast not been redeemed, thy destiny hath yet to be written and thy purpose hath yet to be fulfilled! Arise and live, servant of His Blind-Idiot Majesty! Arise and tread the earth once more! Part ways with the Spirits and the Mistress of The Light, for thou art summoned here upon this night! Let Him, who hath understanding reckon the Number of The Beast, for it is a human number, with errors of His ways days past, open His eyes and see... the resurrection of His life!".

And before we could repeat with what the three beings had uttered, two voices of thunder spoke, as if granting the request from all of us. And then, all was quiet. The factory's lights, which had been out the moment the strange odor picked up, were back to illuminate the sizable chamber once more time. After that, Liao Zu's eyes opened, and he let out a loud gasp and coughed. Shortly later, he stayed still again.

"He- He's revived! Incredible..." was all I could mutter.

"Is he... okay?". Furroh's voice was filled with emotions.

"He is well, but still weak. He needs quite a time to fully recover. In the meantime, tomorrow, I think it's best for you to follow Ritzaar and Garrack to the organization's new base. There, you'll get to see familiar faces again. It's your responsibility to prepare them for Liao Zu's, hmm, 'homecoming', and the birth of the Brotherhood of Concord, which, you, young Furroh and Simel, will help your former Lieutenant be in charge of", Esillith replied and instructed us.

We nodded.

And, next, he approached our uncle's friend and put... a whip onto his chest. "This belongs to the new Guardian, conserve it well". With that, he and the other two beings majestically marched to the factory's elevator entrance and dematerialized away.

...

Air Temple Island, at that same time.

Korra's p.o.v.

As soon as I said goodbye to my friends, I rode Naga back to Air Temple Island, all happy that I was there to help Furroh and Simel move in with Asami and the brothers. Also, I was happier to know for sure that my bendings were actually back! The past few days were really some of the happiest days of my life! _If only Saudorn was here to share this joy with me, though._ Upon subconsciously conjuring that name up to the front of my mind, I was quite sad again. But not for long. Because I remembered it all. I remembered how I first met him. I remembered us nearly kissing while he taught me about wrestling. I remembered our actual kisses. I remembered our intimate moments. And I remembered our first pro-bending match together against the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps. These memories made me smile. They'd made me feel like a fool, too, for acting like a child when he decided to tell the truth about himself. However, I was past that now, for I realized how much he loved me, and I him. He wouldn't want me to dwell in my mistakes forever and beat myself up.

As I was at the Arena, a few minutes later, preparing to bend the water, creating a thick raft of ice for me and my polar bear-dog to be able to go to the island, I looked up at Azara's statue's huge casket. Even though it was technically an enormous death box, it was just... so majestic and so magnificent. And having memorialized the details of the statue inside, especially her smile, I felt that I would forever keep the recollection of how she would've treated me and my late boyfriend so kindly until I grew old. She was the best sister-friend I could ever ask for.

"Thank you, Azara", I spoke lowly, still looking at the massive casket, "thank you for everything".

Next, I was headed to my second home.

After dinner, and after saying goodnight to Tenzin, Pema and the kids ( and playfully pinching and squeezing Rohan's cheeks. Oh, he looked so cute! ), I returned to my room, eager to read whatever the inside of the piece of paper, which Azara had given me, was. Of course, I was curious about the purpose of the small, strange eight-pointed star object she gave me too. Once I locked the doors and windows to ensure total privacy, I took that piece of paper and that star out from under my pillow and bed, unfolded the paper and... suddenly saw words, word after word, filling my vision! _What in Spirits' names?_ When confusion passed, I read silently:

 _Dear Korra,_

 _As you read this, I have already gone to help others fight in this war. But not without leaving things and words behind for you. First of all, about the star, it's a key to open a special box which was hidden remarkably ( and quite mischievously ) inside your room, by me. The inside of the box, I cannot say; you have to find out for yourself. Now, to be able to retrieve the box, simply say 'Zabriga. Avar. Tozo. Lendoril. Ghurth. Thevalnor', meaning 'Light. Darkness. Time. Memory. Truth. Eternity'. After that, place the star onto the thing's upper surface's slot and turn it clockwise four times. Once you do that, the sides' slots will appear. Following that, remember this: Turn back the clock three times at the face, while doing the opposite five times by the left cheek. The disturbing place only needs to go forwards once, as the right side needs a backward stroke two times to weaken the Beast. Sounds very easy, right?_

 _Second of all, there's another letter, this one's for Furroh and Simel, and I'm very sad that I didn't have time to give it to them directly. So, I hid it in the thing they hold dearest to themselves. Just tell them that, they'll know. Finally, this is of the utmost importance; if you still remember the tales about Sokka's space sword, and know where it is now, you need to ask Katara permission to take that blade and hand it down to Furroh, as he's a nonbender, and he needs weapons so as to stand against our enemy. I know that a sword sounds too ancient, but it was at least made from pieces of a meteorite. Still better than nothing, huh? Needless to say, Simel needs a weapon too. But not now. When the time is right, this letter will glow and let you know. 'Til then, please, don't lose it. You'll understand._

 _And now, I'm very sorry but I have to say goodbye. Can't really give you a lengthy letter, can I? Nonetheless, don't worry, I'll be back and stand by your side again, just as I have done the same with Saudorn. Meanwhile, I wish you and everyone you care about good health, great strength and incredible will. May the Light and Darkness be with you always. Hugs and kisses._

 _Very truly yours,_

 _Azara._

 _P.S. : If you want to get rid of these words from your vision, plainly look away and close your eyes for ten seconds, they will disappear. Yet you have to fold the letter again at once, or you'll be annoyed. Countless before you met this problem a bit... repeatedly, and they were genuinely not happy about it. And a friend of mine and a big fan of yours sends you best regards!_

Upon reading the letter, I couldn't help but shed a few tears. _Oh Azara, you didn't know you would die. The tragic irony, the unfinished promise and the last expression of humor._ Closing my eyes and looking away, I sighed sorrowfully. After waiting for ten seconds, I opened my eyes and saw that my vision became normal again; next, I immediately folded the piece of paper and put it down on the bed. _Alright, let's do this, Mr. Box._ Breathing steadily, I recalled the 'code' to retrieve my 'gift', then spelled it clearly:

"Zabriga. Avar. Tozo. Lendoril. Ghurth. Thevalnor".

Instantly, there was a blue flash of light, which blinded me for a short moment. After that, there it was, the box, with six square sides, and lots of unearthly and beautiful embellishment. Also, indeed, there was an impression in the shape of an eight-pointed star on the top side of the object. After a while of admiring the thing, remembering the first instruction from Azara, I placed the 'key' on the slot, seeing the point resembling the 'head' of the star glow red. Following this, I turned the star clockwise four times, exactly as I was told. Then, there was a series of medium, artificial, whirring sounds, and the other slots appeared on the surface of the sides. To be sure if there was one, too, at the bottom surface, I lifted the box ( feeling so light, as if it was empty inside. _What in damnation?_ ) and inspected the object's base. _And there it is._

Now, I studied the rest of the box, trying hard to grasp the meaning of Azara's next instructions in the form of a two-sentence poem. _"Turn back the clock three times at the face, while doing the opposite five times by the left cheek. The disturbing place only needs to go forwards once, as the right side needs a backward stroke two times to weaken the Beast". What does that mean? Hmm... "Turn back the clock three times at the face...". 'Turn back the clock', 'at the face'. Clock. Face. What face? Wait a minute, did Azara want to tell me to turn the star backwards at the side facing me? Is that it?_

With a little doubt, yet accompanied by determination, I put the star on the second slot and turned it backwards three times, all at once hearing a sound similar to the ringing of a bell. The star's 'head', then, suddenly glowed green. _Green, huh? I guess I was right._ Grinning confidently, I called to mind the next part of the first sentence. _"... while doing the opposite five times by the left cheek". 'The opposite', 'left cheek'. 'Left cheek'? Does that mean my cheek? Actually, does that mean the box's side at the same angle as my left cheek? Or the left side of my body? Ugh, this sounds easy to you, Azara, but not to me! Okay, just try it with your conclusion, Korra; if you're wrong, there'll be nothing wrong, right? It's just a harmless puzzle... box._ Finishing thinking, I connected the star with the slot on the same side as my left cheek, turning it clockwise again, five times this time. And I got an ugly, jarring sound from the object. Then, the slot ejected the 'key' right away. _Oh. I was wrong, then. Okay, so... I guess it's the box's 'left cheek'. And that means... it's a head, metaphorically. Lovely._

Having the correct deduction now, I proceeded to put the star onto the slot on the 'left cheek of the face' and turned it clockwise for five times. After that, I got a green glow! _Awesome. Next, "The disturbing place only needs to go forwards once". 'The disturbing place'? I know what 'go forwards' means, but 'the disturbing place'? Hang on, I am looking at a head here; therefore, 'the disturbing place' can only be... the severed portion of the neck! Okay. Alright._ Looking down at the bottom surface of the box, I placed and turned the star clockwise once. _And, done. Last, but not least, "as the right side needs a backward stroke two times to weaken the Beast". Yeah, isn't it obvious?_ Finally, I connected the star to the last slot, turning it backwards twice. And then, after the bell-like sound, the box itself shook and 'leaped' away from my grip! It opened, and there was another flash of blue. When I focused again, I was astounded upon seeing what I saw.

"S- Saudorn?".

...

The Cosmos-Matrix, in the 26th Reality, a while ago.

Narrator's p.o.v.

Averda sat there on her floating throne, in the Throneroom of the Cosmos-Matrix, her pocket universe, all alone, staring into space and feeling so grim like never before. She and Azara had had differences, before, during or after their time together as the Two Aces. Nevertheless, Averda truly had great times going on an adventure and fighting alongside her older sister. And she taught her very many things about the realities as well. All was well for a time, if she could say that, until Azara met Endul - her would-be husband, and eventually her would-be greatest archenemy. _Curse you, Endul, for dividing me and Azara. Now I will never have a chance to look at her ever again._

Just an hour ago, while Averda was moving about to inspect her realm to see if there was a breach or two, or not, she had a terrible feeling, like something awful had happened. Instantly, she returned to her Throneroom, drawing the energy from there and projecting her consciousness out of her domain, progressing speedily through reality after reality to find the source of her disturbed feeling. And she was appalled when she learned that it was Azara's death. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe that her sister had died. The truth hit hard, and it made her mind reel. The Guardian was gone, it was one thing; her sister was gone, it was something else; but this was a sister who she hadn't talked to or communicated with for a long, long time. And she was supposed to show her successor the ways of the Guardian, step by step! _This is a disaster, a catastrophe. A... tragedy._

Sighing aloud, she stood up from her throne, turned her head to the right and spoke aloud:

"Kroross".

An enormous, grey, smoke-like being, who seemed to be in the shape of a giant cloak, appeared next to Azara's sister.

"You summon me, Foundriss?".

"Yes", Averda spoke curtly, "I have to go to the Nexus and meet the Novice forthwith. Therefore, I task you, again, with managing the Cosmos-Matrix while I'm gone. Am I understood?".

"Absolutely, My Lady". The outworldly being bowed.

"Good". Esillith's 98th daughter nodded, pleased. "By the by, what is the status of our Marchers ( Cosmos-Matrix's soldiers )?".

"So far, none, except the Division of Asth and Division of Morhes ( pronounced 'Moh-res' ), have sustained heavy loss, Foundriss".

Averda's voice became somewhat skeptical. "And this is from the latest data?".

"Of course, Foundriss".

"Very well, then. Continue to follow the news closely. I have a suspicion that we'll need the rest of the Marchers soon".

With that, Averda flashed away, becoming a super fast beam of light, exiting her realm within a blink of an eye. ( not saying that Krokross had eyes, though )

...

Inside the Flesh Fortress, somewhere in the Realm of The Unknown.

Narrator's p.o.v.

Shredder marched through the great opening flesh-doors leading into Zulathulhu's Chamber of Power, where the All-Lord usually summoned his Lord-Patriarchs to inform him about the invasion process's most recent tidings, him seeing every powerful and familiar shapes under the terrible being's command, up ahead, them bowing in fear before their supreme ruler. As Shredder tried hard to calm himself amid the maddening cacophony of mind-shattering, soul-annihilating and extistence-extinguishing shrilling, shrieking, baying and bellowing from all sorts of abominably and blasphemously unbearable and unfathomable, eldritch horrors, briefly illustrated with full details by chaotic flashes and roars of lightning and thunder outside, which lurked, prowled, scurried, burbled, gurgled, sloshed, squelched, swished, stomped and thudded around with bloodthirst, hunger, hostility, animosity and impatience, ready to unleash their frighteningly spine-chilling presences upon the newcomer. Shredder shuddered with dread, wishing he had sent General Traag here on his behalf instead, to report about Saudorn's presence in the World of Benders.

When he passed the Lord-Patriarchs, including the newly anointed Lord-Matriarch of the Legion of War - Peramasth, one of Agrigula's eight Lieutenant-Ministers ( with Vargoth, who had been killed in a surprise attack orchestrated by both Sarah Kerrigan and Tali'zorah on Char in Starcraft universe, and Manoward previously as the first and second Lieutenant-Minister, respectively ) - herself, he noticed the look of disapproval on his Lord-Patriarch's - Phoborth - face, as he was really late for the report, because of his fleet being ambushed by the Multitude forces, while going through an uncharted portion of Dr. Who universe. Shredder knew Phoborth wouldn't punish him for this, yet he might fall out of favor and lose to Purgatori, Lich from Enter The Gungeon universe, and the Council of The Four in the race for absolute power inside the Legion of The Damned. Hell, he might even lose to the likes of General Grievous from Star Wars universe! Half-kneeling before the enthroned All-Lord, Shredder spoke:

"My Lord, I have come to bring tidings about your creator-".

"I already knew", rumbled Zulathulhu, annoyedly interrupted Saki, "your failure to complete your task properly should have been answered with severe punishment the moment you entered here. Notwithstanding, I will leave it to Phoborth's judgment and won't be bothered by a mere bug. Get out of my sight".

Too shaken to even reply, Shredder stood up and retreated next to Phoborth. Next, Zulathulhu stated:

"So, as we realized, our Father has been brought to the World of Benders. And Agrigula failed. Pathetic. I have had high hope for the Legion of War to shine with bloodshed and obliteration, but all I get, is news of defeat! Now the Multitude forces are definitely there, attempting to fortify that essential world. Does it seem to me like I need to remind myself that not ALL of my subordinates are incompetent every once in a while? That you will not botch my delicate Plan?".

Everyone was silent.

Zulathulhu continued:"With Cthulhu on the run, the Passage To The Center not yet cleared, the insistent resistance from the Multitude, we might as well miss the Arise. Then, I have to wait for an eternity more to get what I need!".

The horrifying creature on the throne sighed frustratedly.

"Well, but there's also something that I appreciate: The Guardian was assassinated by none other than Sojana, just as planned". The Commanders now murmured among themselves. "Without the Guardian to guide my Father to become the Successor, a chance is presented to us to end this war as soon as possible, and to establish the dominion of my cosmic domain. And so, without further ado, I grant you the permission to finish what Agrigula started. I'm sure you will get the job done". He turned to the Lord-Patriarch of the Legion of Death. "Go forth and bring me what I need from that protected realm. And be sure to fetch all of the conquered, for you'll want to smash the defenses with precise and heavy blows".

When Zulathulhu finished his sentence, the tall figure in black cloak, his face hidden by the shadow of the hood, slightly bowed and silently exited the chamber. He gave Shredder the creeps. After that, the Council of The Four, always called to accompany Phoborth, wondered aloud:

"All-Lord, if I may. Do you think Coronythillas can capture Saudorn? After all, he just defeated War".

"Yes, Saudorn has defeated the most overrated embodiment of War, but he will not stop the truest form of Oblivion from fulfilling its task. For War may be the Creator of Hell, yet his name that sits on the Pale Horse is Death, and Hell... follows with him", came the response.

With that, all of a sudden, there was demonic music, and the riffs from Possessed's Holy Hell could be heard.

Ho-ly - Hell, death - to - us.  
Sa-tan's - fell, un-holy - lust.  
De-vil's - water - starts - to - flood.  
God - is - slaughtered, drink - his - blood.

Our bond-ing, trust - is - at - hand.  
Go - we must, to Sa-tan's land.  
Pray - for - death, and - cry - for - life.  
Rea-per's - breath - will breathe new life.

Sa-tan's - child, he - is - born.  
And - to death, he - is - sworn.  
Days - of - hate, and - days - of - pain.  
End-less term - of Sa-tan's reign!

End-less - dreams, in - the - night.  
Eternal sleep, eternal fright.  
Defiled crosses, oh - black - mass.  
Satan reigns - me at last.

All of Heaven, all of earth.  
You'll meet your God!  
Chained to torment, chained to pain  
like a dog!

Evil days, and evil nights  
are black as death!  
Hearts of sinners, hearts of stone.  
Reaper's - breath!

There was blood, and there was pain.  
Ecstasy!  
Rage of magic, rage of witches.  
Sorcery!

Feel the power, feel the heat  
down below!  
Kill the people, kill them dead!  
Take their soul!

Blackened masses, blackened crosses.  
Ritual!  
Cut the heads, cut the throats!  
Take the fall...!

 **Note 2: Just wanna fix errors.**


End file.
